Every Sunday of Lent I am leading some very special photo walks, from 2pm to 5pm, and during the Holy Week, from 2pm to 5pm, themed around the elements of the Holy Week. These photo walks start with an information-packed presentation defining the different elements of Lent and the Holy Week and then we hit … Read more
We wave good-bye to Semana Santa 2016 with the most emblematic image found during the Holy Week: The Selfie. As every year, I always like to share with you my impressions about the bad and ugly of the Holy Week. That’s right folks, this year more than others, selfies are the most common seen vista … Read more
The Holy Week is almost over. I have a few dozen photographs such as this one in my archives now. Tomorrow, Domingo de Resurrección or Domingo de Pascua [Easter Sunday], the last procession will come out. I will try to cover it in more intimate manner, to create a cozy atmosphere. Stay tuned for the … Read more
I always wondered where do Roman soldiers and cucuruchos [coneheads] refuel for the tremendous amount of energy required to do a full procession. Well, the mystery is solved. Whenever they can, they stop by a tiendita to buy tortrix and pop sodas. I imagine that if they can find panes con chille relleno or frijoles, … Read more
Here’s the exit of La Reseña procession from Iglesia de La Merced in Antigua Guatemala. On Palm Sunday one of the most important processions leads its way for many hours through the streets of Antigua Guatemala. This procession is known as “La Reseña” of “The Revue” as it’s an overview of the life of Jesus … Read more
As I mentioned yesterday, Lent and Holy Week are an equal-opportunity events where everyone can participate, including little boys and girls barely walking as we can see here. I hope you enjoy this street portrait of a tiny cone head in the making. If you want to learn more about the processions, the lenten events … Read more
Here’s one last picture from the Semana Santa. In this case, I got really close to a cucurucho, a teenager really, to capture his look. Guess how close I was to him when I made this picture?
The Holy Week Is Officially Over! Yes, it’s official, the Semana Santa is over. Now, it is time to ponder over the good, the bad and the ugly of the Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala. The Good It is incredible how much good energy one can feel from so many people having an awesome time. … Read more
I don’t know how it happened, but nowadays many cucuruchos, the cone head float carriers, are also carrying cameras to photograph the processions within. I guess there are no regulations within the brotherhoods yet because some cucuruchos even brought along monopods and selfie sticks to get even higher shots. Some even bring speed lights or … Read more
As I have said before, the Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala is an equal opportunity celebration. Sure, cucuruchos take the majority of the clicks of cameras and most of the video recorded, but children, women and dogs have a place in the Holy Week celebrations as well. The children’s float or andas are a bit … Read more
As every Sunday during Lent, Antigua Guatemala gets dress of purple, the color of penitence and the streets become crowded with cucuruchos waiting their turn at carrying the processional float, photographers trying to get yet one more picture of the religious figures and the new processional setups and people full of devotion and awe. For … Read more
As I explained with the corozo palm aroma, I can bring to you the colors, the imagery, the sounds and even video clips, but I can’t transmit or transfer you the smells and aromas of the world-famous Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala. The pungent scents of copal incense and corozo palms, so you will have … Read more
With this selection of the hermanas cargadoras, the women who carry the smaller floats of the Virgin Mary or other virgins for the matter we conclude our coverage of Lent and Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala. Our gratitude and huge round of applause goes to Nelo Mijangos who goes the extra mile, literally, to bring … Read more
Velaciones, vigils, are a very important tradition during Lent and Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala. Velaciones are altars or shrines made for the catholic figures that later on will be on top of the floats, andas in Guatemalan Spanish, which are the nucleus of the processions. Even though I recently shared with you an entire … Read more
As I have mentioned before, Lent and Semana Santa is an equal-opportunity tradition. As you can see here, even little girls get a chance to carry a float, small, but still their float. By the way, the male carriers are called cucuruchos and the female carriers are known as hermanas cargadoras. I call the little … Read more