VII Summit of First Ladies of Central America, Panama and Dominican Republic

by

Basically, the first ladies want to promote strategies in favor of the women of the region. If you ask me, this sounds to generic and broad to be taken seriously as a plan to better the situation of women in Central America. They could’ve taken a look at my entry of Guatemalan Women & Killer’s Paradise for two concrete campaigns for their agenda: The elimination of violence against women and solid plans to end the femicides and to bring the killers to justice. But then again, this would not be a suitable agenda to discuss for some fine first ladies while drinking the best coffee of world while staying at the only five stars hotel in La Antigua Guatemala, right?

Flor de Izote or Yucca tree flower

by

I don’t know why I have a fascination with the Izote tree, a member of the yucca tree family, also known as the Yoshua tree. Maybe its many arms and hands. Anyhow, I like it and its used often in the hedgerows around Antigua Guatemala. Its white flowers are edible and they are considered a delicacy. The izote tree flower is also the national flower for the neighboring country of El Salvador. You can see the white flowers right above the center of the photograph; you may need to see the larger version to actually see it. So far I have posted several photos of the palo de izote tree, but this one is my favorite.

Not All the Roads in Antigua are Cobble-stoned

by

Not all the roads in La Antigua Guatemala are cobble-stoned, some side roads that travel the distance between villages or coffee plantations could be simple dirt path like the one shown above. But even this dirt road can sometimes lead you to jewels like that one I found the other day tucked, as Suzanne pointed out, between Santa Ana village and San Cristobal El Bajo. Thanks to Suzanne, now I know that the name of the ruins is Santa Isabel. The view you see in the photograph above is looking towards Santa Ana village from the Santa Isabel Ruins.

Santa Isabel Church Ruins in Santa Ana, La Antigua Guatemala

by

Around Antigua Guatemala you’ll never know what may find if you take a side road or dirt road. For instance, today while taking a shortcut dirt road between El Calvario and San Cristobal El Bajo, I found this church ruins at the cross roads in the middle of some coffee plantations. Now I have some … Read more

Coffee and Gravileas Trees Along with Bougainvillea Bushes

by

This photo is needed to clarify a confusion about the coffee trees and their height. Nathalie from Sydney DP asked if coffee trees grow very tall in La Antigua Guatemala, while referring to this photograph which showed coffee trees and their shadow makers the gravilea trees around Antigua, San Pedro Las Huertas to be precise. I posted a Close-up photo of coffee plantation before to show the coffee bushes (tree could be considered an exaggeration) and the shadow trees known here a gravileas. So, to answer Nathalie’s questions, coffee trees (ed. bushes) do not grow very high; they can be harvest by Guatemalan farm workers on foot.

Inside the Safety Zone

by

Ever since I took a snapshot of a Electrified barb wire fence I wanted to come back to the subject to get an inside view. I imagine that you will see many concentric circles getting smaller as the approach the vanishing point. The question is can one find beauty in these type of subjects? I … Read more

Arches at the Compañí­a de Jesús Building in Antigua Guatemala

by

The Compañí­a de Jesús Building has to be one of my favorites building in La Antigua Guatemala. It is beautifully restored with so many gorgeous details like arches, wood floors, wood arches and columns, fountain, gardens. The Compañí­a de Jesús Building is under the care of Cooperación Española NGO, Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional in … Read more

Entrance Doorway to the Compañí­a de Jesús Building

by

I am sucker for shots with contrast. I like to show all the different contrasting vistas that come into my viewfinder in La Antigua Guatemala. Contrast can come in different shapes like size, culture, age, etc. Tourist and indigenous women often come into the viewfinder and I like to show that contrast. Sometimes the meeting … Read more