Another way of challenging myself with street portraits is to use an off-camera flash. This portrait of a campesino in one the villages of La Antigua Guatemala was made exactly that way. I shared a square version of this portrait on Instagram and on other social media networks and received quite the feedback. Below I … Read more
I enjoy talking to and interviewing the campesinos I encounter on my morning walks on the hills of the skirt of Volcán de Agua. In this instance, Don Vicente, 70, shared with me that plot he cultivates measures 9 “cuerdas”, 1 block equals 6 “cuerdas” and that he grows maize, beans, flowers, cilantro and fruits, … Read more
As I have mentioned before, it is impossible to think of the Guatemalan, Mexican and Mesoamerican diet without maize. From the Popul Vuh (Popol Wuj in modern spelling), the Mayan equivalent of the Bible, which states that humans were literally created from maize, to Miguel Ángel Asturias‘ novel Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize) which … Read more
According to Don Alejandro, campesinos walk about a mile or two each day around 6am to 7am to work on their milpas. They do this from April through December. If you have a mule or donkey, the loads are a little easier, but if you are not, you have to carry heave loads up and … Read more
Don Alejandro, 78, has four cuerdas [1/6 of block equals 1 cuerda] on communal or municipal land where he grows maize and beans. He works on his milpa or maizal field from April through October. Harvest time is November for the maize and December for the beans. This photo was taken on the outskirts of … Read more
It was Manolo who introduced to the term colono (a salaried worker) in comparison to a campesino (a self-employed farmer). Manolo also made this statement: Real Guatemala -> Royal Guatemala -> Feudal Guatemala, which I think is true quite often. As I have mentioned before, the campesino, the fieldworker, is an ever-present stamp in the … Read more
I am afraid the paraphrasing of the title might scape most people since it is a nerd thing that only the most geeky from the olden days would understand. Anyhow, here’s a worker for hire with a mule and fumigator that can travel to you parcel and get rid of those pesky pests. I wonder … Read more
The land belongs to those that work it with their own hands. —Emiliano Zapata La tierra es de quien la trabaja con sus manos. —Emiliano Zapata One more addition to the Real Guatemala series. The campesino, the fieldworker, is an ever-stamp in the daily life of Guatemala we see then going to work the fields … Read more
Whenever you come across people riding horses or donkeys over the cobblestone streets of La Antigua Guatemala you feel like you are for real in the 16th and 17th Centuries. One of things I love about living in Antigua Guatemala is the fact that one gets to experience different eras and lifestyles juxtaposed at the … Read more
It’s amazing how this farmworker can carry so many discarded maize canes on his back, just like an ant, carrying more weight than his own. Farming has to be among the most tough jobs anywhere, don’t you agree? In Guatemala we recycle just about everything, including the maize canes which will probably end up as … Read more
Living in La Antigua Guatemala is such a trip because you get to see and experience different eras and lifestyles all at once. Take for instance the vista of a campesino (small plot worker) with his horse heading out to work early in the morning to the rolling hills of Volcán de Agua and now … Read more