Guatemalan Colors and Smiles
Today I share with you a candid portrait of Ruth, one of the vendors that offers colourful hand-woven Mayan textiles from the …
Market Vs Supermarkets in Antigua Guatemala
Here are two different approaches to the distribution and sale of food. On one hand, the mercado is an agglomeration of small …
Lunch Cobanero in Alameda El Calvario
There’s a myth that declares that the Maya people don’t like to be photographed. Something I have noticed in the over two …
Red Box Movies — Antigua Guatemala Style
In the mercado municipal of Antigua Guatemala you can find quite a few booths that offer movie selections similar to what you …
Color palettes of Antigua Guatemala
You pick the color palette that best suits your needs and hue preferences. The choices are the textured wall colours, the Mayan …
Funding Your Travels By Selling Muffins
I encountered these two Argentines who were walking around town selling muffins, Argentine style of course, to fund their travels. Where’s a …
Making Art at Calle del Arco On The Weekends
Follow the white rabbit to » Antigua Artisan Triptych: The Mayan Weaver.
What do Guatemalans look like?
If you look at the photos of many tourists, Guatemalans only look like the Maya. I, however, have been making portraits of …
Consecutive Day 3643 — We’re made of maize
We are men of maize!. As I have said before, it’s impossible to think the Guatemalan and Mesoamerican diets without maize. From …
Consecutive Day 3638 — All the names
Strictly speaking, we do not make decisions, decisions make us. The proof can be found in the fact that, though life leads …
Things To Do in Antigua Guatemala — Learning to Cook Guatemalan Food
We jump-start the week after Easter with mini-series in some of the best activities to do in Antigua Guatemala. We start with …
Doing laundry at the public washbasins of Tanque de La Unión
Years ago the Pilas de Santa Clara used to be a very busy place with Maya women doing laundry. Most women came …
Typical Tienda de Occidente in Antigua Guatemala
Poco a poco, slowly, all the traditional and typical tiendas and tienditas, borough convenience stores, have been bought and turned into abarroterías …
The Ever Popular Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob is among the most popular street foods one can find in Guatemala. Obviously, there several vendors in each …
Guatemalan Santa Helper Colorful Costume
Guatemalans love color, the more the merrier, right? See even in this Santa Clause helper’s costume, the usual red and white, is …
Guatemalan Food — Rabo Encendido
So what do Guatemalans eat on the last Thursday of November? Pues paches, of course, just like we do every ordinary Thursday. …
Saving Guatemalan Souls
If you pay attention to the number of missionaries in Guatemala you can only conclude that Guatemalan souls are in danger. Guatemalans …
Transculturation and Gender in Guatemala
Gender and identity. Gender and transculturation. Is there a difference in how men and women assume their identity and their traditions. What …
I am Guatemala Too
In my never ending quest to share with your that many faces of the Guatemalan identity, this week I will be posting …
Guatemalan Food: Chuchitos con chipilín
How many kinds of tamales are there in Guatemala? As explained in the entry, The Main Ingredients of the Guatemalan Chuchitos, these …
Guatemalan Food: Kak’ik from 7 Caldos
Here’s your illustrated Maya word of the day: Ik or hot, spicy, or picante in Spanish. You find the word Ik at …
The Colours and Smiles from Antigua Guatemala
Here’s another typical stamp of daily life from Guatemala. I hope you like it and find the words in your heart to caption it. I will send a real photo post card to the best caption for this photograph via the traditional postal service.
Did you know that Guatemala is the cradle of chocolate?
The birthplace for chocolate is Guatemala, which is the heartland of the Mayan world. Chocolate means bitter drink in Nahualt, that’s the …
Mi Antigua Es Color
Here’s your Spanish word of the day: Etiqueta for tag and hashtag. We now live in a hashtag world or should I …
Guatemalan Beans and Maize Stand at the Mercado, Antigua Guatemala
We are what we eat. So Guatemalans are made from a big proportion of maize, beans, fruits and vegetables. Of course, beans …
Guatemalan Restaurant Decoration
My new favourite Guatemalan food restaurant in La Antigua Guatemala is 7 Caldos, a classic and authentic venue from Guatemala City that …
Some people live in color, some people live in black and white
Dorothy: Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. [from the film The Wizard of Oz] I clearly remember the film The Wizard …
Guatemalan Food: Patín
Patín is quite possibly the most popular food found around the villages in Lake Atitlán. Hardly ever we can find patín in …
Guatemalan Food: Iguana en Iguashte
Not too long ago I shared a picture of iguashte or iwaxte, a vegetable salad made with ground pumpkin or squash seeds. …
Happy Guatemalan Father’s Day
As I have mentioned before, in Guatemala we still celebrate holidays on the actual date they happen to fall on. For instance, …
24 Frames of Film: Typical Guatemalan Food Sampling
Of course, a sampling of the Guatemalan food as seen from the doorway of La Cuevita of Los Urquizú could not be …
Guatemalan Food: Iguashte or Iwaxte
This is iguashte, a vegetable salad made with ground pumpkin or squash seeds. This is quite possibly a pre-Columbian Mayan dish. This …
-11 Days to 9th Anniversary: The Granizada Transanction
When I grew up, sweet granizadas, shaved ice, were the only choice. Sweet Guatemalan granizadas were simply prepared by adding watery food-coloring syrups. Nowadays, sweet granizadas are very complex, with all kinds of marmalades, syrups and condensed milk added as toppings. There are also now salty granizadas available as well. Salty granizadas usually have crushed pumpkin roasted seeds, chile powder, lime juice and salt. Of course, there are also michelada granizadas and ceviche tasting granizadas on the salty side. In other words, salty granizadas are as complex and in demand as the sweet granizadas.
-13 Days to 9th Anniversary: Tres Generaciones
How would you caption this picture? We all have different approaches to documenting the quotidian life in the cities we happen to …
-14 Days to 9th Anniversary: El Mariachi
Oh Guatemalans, we are a weird, confused bunch. How do we celebrate a birthday, well instead of playing marimba music, we hire …
Arches R Us
Here’s a simple photograph of arches captured inside Ruinas de Santa Clara, Antigua Guatemala. Nearly 9 years ago I started sharing with …
Ixchel Goddess of the Moon and Weaving
Here we have a tocoyales exhibit at Museo del Tejido Antiguo. I know, you are wondering what in the world is a …
Museo Casa del Tejido Antiguo
If you would like to learn more about the Mayan weaving of Guatemala, make sure you visit Museo Casa del Tejido Antiguo …
Reflections on International Women’s Day
The best way to celebrate International Women’s Day is to work everyday towards the same rights, education, salaries, opportunities, and respect for …
Antique Marimba from Guatemala
Okay, here’s just more marimba picture. I know, I know, I said I had enough about the marimba, but I felt necessary …
Weekend Handicrafts Market at Ruinas del Carmen, Antigua Guatemala
As I have mentioned before, a handicraft market mushrooms on the outside of Ruinas Del Carmen on the weekends and holidays. The …
What Would You Like To See On AntiguaDailyPhoto During 2015
For my part, I promise to share more portraits of antigüeños, more black and white photography, more photographic series, at least ten …
Antigua Photo Walks: Portraits of Antigüeños
Another thing that I encourage during the street photography walks around Antigua Guatemala is to capture portraits of strangers, intimate portraits whenever …
Guatemalan Food: Caldo de Pata
The caldo de patas stew or stock is made with muscles and bones from the lower legs of either pork or cow, …
Photographing The Locals During a Photo Walk in Antigua Guatemala
One of the things I encourage during the photo walks I lead around Antigua Guatemala is to take lots of portraits of …
Hurry, Light, We have Beautiful Light Now in Antigua Guatemala
I believe I have mentioned a few times before through the years, we have the most beautiful and incredible light around Antigua …
Antigua Artisan Triptych: The Potter
Here’s your Spanish word of the day: Alfarero or potter. Today I am also sharing the second triptych of the series. Today’s …
Wood Carving Art from Guatemala
Guatemalans have always produced great sculpture and wood carving figures. From the time of Maya all the way through colonial period, Guatemala …
Day of the Dead in Guatemala
You are not dead until you are forgotten! As I have mentioned before, Guatemala’s real culture is syncretism and thus death plays …
Trick-or-treating in Antigua Guatemala on Halloween
Don’t say I did not warn you before about how addicting ice cream in Guatemala can be. Well, as you can see …
Let’s Celebrate Maximón Day
In Guatemala, Maximón is celebrated on October 28 by those who worship the Maya saint, also known as San Simón. Today, I …
Have a Happy Día de la Raza!
As every October 12, Día de la Raza, I would like to share with you the faces of cultural resistance in a …
Did you know that Antigua Guatemala is the birthplace for the California/Hass Avocado?
The chief agronomist of The United Fruit Company, Wilson Popenoe, took the local avocado variant to California and from it the California …
Guatemala’s colors are on display every year on September 15 to mark Independence Day
Honestly, I don’t know why we still celebrate Independence Day in Guatemala. What we should be doing is putting a classified in …
Antigua Street Performer: The Miner
There are now several street performers in Antigua Guatemala. From the mime Tamagochy to the live Andean music band, which, by the …
Guatemala is the Ultimate Stew Country!
Here’s your Mayan word of the day: Ik or hot, spicy, or picante in Spanish. You find the word Ik at the …
Authentic Guatemalan Smiles and Tortillas, Three Times A Day
This portrait of a young Maya girl is another addition to the portraits of strangers series. We are so fortunate to have …
Cacao Pods from Guatemala
Chocolate is created from the cocoa bean that come from cacao pods as seen here. Chocolate is quite possibly the most popular …
Agua as Hunahpú and Fuego as Ixbalanqué
Here’s another panoramic vista of volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango during the sunset of this delicious canícula or heat wave, which in …
Ceiba Trees Are Portals to Xibalbá
As I have shared with you before, the ceiba tree (Ceiba pentandra) is very important in Guatemala. For one, the Ceiba tree …
Home-made Guatemalan Black Pupusas with Loroco
As I have shared before, pupusas are better known in Guatemala as tortilla con chicharrón or tortilla con queso, et cetera. I …
Maximón and Mishito
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Mishito or kitty or gatito in plain Spanish. Now, the effigy next to the …
We’re Hombres de Maíz
As I have mentioned before, it is impossible to think of the Guatemalan, Mexican and Mesoamerican diet without maize. From the Popul …
Meet the giant Guatemalan winged-leaf-cutter ant: Zompopo
Once again the May zompopo ants have arrived on time this year! Here are some facts and myths about the giant leaf …
Guatemalan Portrait: Gypsy Woman
One important aspect of the Guatemalan Portrait series is to show the rainbow of people that Guatemalans can be, although many only …
Guatemalan Food: Jocón
Jocón is basically a Guatemalan tomatillo-cilantro sauce; although we use the word miltomate instead. We also have another word for cilantro in …
Guatemalan Cuisine: Pollo en Amarillo
What we call in Guatemala, recardos, stews based on sauces, are really just Mayan curries, although some people do not like the …
Guatemalan Cooking School Frijol Feliz
Last week I had the opportunity to take some photos of the cooking classes at El Frijo Feliz Cooking School Antigua Guatemala …
Special Screening of “Dance of the Maize God” in Antigua Guatemala
Last night I had the opportunity to attend the Special preview screening of the documentary “Dance of the Maize God” by filmmaker …
Día de la Raza or Columbus Day or Bartolomé Day or Francisco Marroquín Day?
As every Día de la Raza I would like to share with you the faces of cultural resistance in a world where …
Lenticular Clouds Over Volcán de Agua
Lenticular clouds, Altocumulus lenticularis, are stationary lens-shaped clouds that form at high altitudes, normally aligned perpendicular to the wind direction. Lenticular clouds …
Things to do while it rains
Here’s what I see with these group of Maya women: Have lunch Continue weaving Gossip a little Tell jokes Make some calls …
It’s Lunch Time At The Atrium of Compañía de Jesús Building
The atrium of the former Compañía de Jesús building is a favourite spot to have lunch during sunny days as well as …
Student Band Practice for Guatemala’s Independence Celebrations
Most Guatemalan grow up hearing “El Grito” and even dancing the “son” in school events. If there were an unofficial anthem for …
Guatemalan Style vs World Fashion
In my opinion, the native Maya clothing from Guatemala are very stylish. Some might argue that Guatemalan Maya clothes are even in …
Guatemalan Tamalito de Elote
Let me introduce the famous “Tamalito de Elote.” Made of corn, it’s one of the simplest ones when it comes to its …
Peek-a-boo!
I saw this Maya girl peeking through the windows of a very high-end cafe in Antigua Guatemala; fortunately, I had my telephoto …
Making Handicrafts at Antigua Guatemala’s Parque Central
This is yet another popular vista at Parque Central, artisans making handicrafts to sell on the spot or on Calle del Arco. …
Texas BBQ, Mexican Carnitas and Korean Food Now Available in Antigua Guatemala
Kimchi JJigae FTW! As I have mentioned many times before, Antigua Guatemala is a foodie’s paradise since one is able to sample …
Guatemala is the cradle of chocolate
First of all, bitter chocolate is an oxymoron because chocolate means bitter drink. That’s right, we can say chocolate was the bitter …
INGUAT shows for the OAS
As always, Guatemala’s tourism institute, INGUAT for short, put up a show of “Mayan” ceremonies and dances to welcome the members of …
Facts and Myths about the Giant Guatemalan Sompopo Ant
Once again the May sompopos ants actually arrived in May and on time! Are you ready to drop your jaw and say, …
Historic Mother’s Day in Guatemala
First of all, I want to wish a Happy Guatemalan Mother’s Day to all the moms in my family and the world, …
Moto trucks are the new utility vehicles in Antigua Guatemala
I don’t want to call names or anything like that, but I must say there’s an imperialistic country the north of Guatemala …
Norman Ávila, The Guatemalan Weather and Geo-location Guru
Here’s another dramatic portrait for the newly created Portrait category. As always, follow the white rabbit to look at the other entries …
First Photos of the Eruptions of Fuego Volcano taken from Antigua Guatemala
Here are the first images I taken of the recent eruptions of Volcán de Fuego taken from Antigua Guatemala tonight. I was …
Colourful Guatemalan Carnival Eggshells
Ordinarily, I begin by asking readers to recall their earliest memories to provide a context for corpocratic historians of the future… Could …
Wintertime in the Land of Eternal Spring
Contrary to popular belief Guatemala shares the same seasonal schedule as North America. Thus, it starts to get chilly in LAG by …
Guatemalan Catholic Women
You talkin’ to me? No. Honest I am not talking to you… I believe that Antigua Guatemala and the surrounding villages are …
Guatemalan Fortune Owls
Did you know that the number 13 is sacred and a good luck number for the Maya? The same principal applies to …
13 Baktun Ceremony in Antigua Guatemala
All of Guatemala celebrated the end of the long count Mayan calendar and the beginning of the new era. There were events …
12.12.12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Antigua Guatemala
Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe in Antigua Guatemala As I have shared with you in previous years, in La Antigua Guatemala, …
This is the Magic Hour to enjoy the Fuego & Acatenango Volcanoes
What time do you think is the magic hour to enjoy the best view of the volcanoes Fuego and Acatenango? p.s. We …
Día de la Raza or Hispanidad
For this Día de la Raza I would like to share with you the faces of cultural resistance in a world where …
Tortilla Time
It is interesting how the aroma of freshly-made tortillas can be so haunting. This is especially true to Guatemalans who are not …
“Victims and Victimisers” Photo Exhibition at the FOTO 30 Photo Festival
This is one of the images with which I am participating this year in Guatemala’s largest photo festival, FOTO30, which spans the …
Drummer and Chirimilla Flute Player in Antigua Guatemala
The haunting Mayan sounds of the chirimilla flute and drums can still be heard at most religious and public events. Unfortunately, while …
Our Daily Bread is Maize-based Food
Very often I see women on their way to the maize mill to turn nixtamalized maized into masa dough to make tortillas. …
Antigua Guatemala Rainy Season What, When?
This year the rainy season has been fabulous so far. Crystal clear skies and sunny mornings to mid-afternoons with some light rains …