Today I share with you a vista from the former Cathedral of Santiago de Guatemala, nowadays Antigua Guatemala, framed through the arches of the Palacio del Ayuntamiento, the City Hall palace. You can see the purple banners used during lent draped over the hand rails of the second floor of this building.
… We don’t talk about ####. I am hopeful for 2021 and I believe the world will be a better place, poco a poco, slowly but surely. What are your thoughts about this brand new year?
Here’s your illustrated Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Ayuntamiento for City Hall. Since this year the city of Antigua Guatemala could not celebrate it’s patron saint festivities on July 25th, which is Día de Santiago, or Saint James Day, they hanged these huge Santiago banners from the Palacio del Ayuntamiento [City Hall Palace]. By … Read more
Día del Ejercito is a Guatemalan holiday observed on June 30. Even though the holiday actually commemorates the Liberal Revolution of 1871 which weakened and expelled many of the power of many religious orders in Guatemala, the actual name for the holiday leaves many unhappy as Guatemalans have had a horrible and bloody relationship with … Read more
As I mentioned earlier, Independence is celebrated through the entire month of September in Guatemala. These are the last few days when we will be able to see flags as part of decoration of government and private buildings. It’s time to move on to October and Día de la Raza, Día de la Revolución and … Read more
July 25 is La Antigua Guatemala Patron’s Day; otherwise known as the fair day of Saint James. Why is Saint James the patron saint of La Antigua Guatemala? La Antigua Guatemala used to be the capital city of Guatemala (Central America to be precise) and at the time its name was La Muy Noble y … Read more
A few days ago several members of Club Fotográfico de Antigua (Antigua’s Photo Club) and I went to the Municipalidad (City Hall) to request support for our photo club. I was surprised that within 10 minutes from arriving at the Muni we were already talking to the Mayor himself. Furthermore, I was astonished that he … Read more
For those who don’t know, the building that appears in the photo is La Antigua Guatemala Municipal government building, simply known as La Muni. The altar shown in the foreground was installed for the commencement of the Lent season. So, there’s your answer about any real separation between Church and State in La Antigua Guatemala. … Read more
For those who have never visited the Mayor’s office at City Hall, this is what it looks like. It may also come as a surprise that for most Guatemalans, City Halls are the only place where they can exercise Realpolitik. Anything else above the municipal level is mostly vaporware. 🙁 What’s the highest level in … Read more
According to Foursquare, I hold more mayorships than anyone in La Antigua Guatemala, including the current elected Mayor, Dr. Vivar. 😉 So, I believe I should be able to change the official slogan of the city from Ciudad de las perpetuas rosas (City of the perpetual roses) to Ciudad de las fuentes (City of fountains); … Read more
So, what kind activities are done in Guatemala to celebrate Independence Day? Most people in Guatemala often say that Guatemalans are not very “patriotic” and immediately mention how patriotic the Mexicans really are: “that’s really patriotism!” Having said that, you can begin to see the first glances of Independence Day activities back in July, or … Read more
On September 14 10, people from all over the country begin a marathon to go to another part of the country to get the fire for the Independence Torch in their communities. There are many places the have a torch where other people from other towns can light up their torch to bring back to … Read more
Getting everything ready for Independence Day Celebrations. This torch will light the Independence fire torches from all over Guatemala. These Independence torches will be carried in marathons so that Fire of Independence arrives to all the corners of Guatemala on time before September 15.
This is crap! The four basic principles of graphic design are: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Proximity. It was Robin Williams, the graphic designer and teacher, who came up with the memorable acronym to help people remember these basic principles. I believe this photo embodies the basic principles of contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity (crap); don’t … Read more
If you have been following La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo (LAGDP) for at least a year, you would know that the patron’s day celebrations fall on 25th of July for La Antigua Guatemala, also known as Santiago de Guatemala (Saint James of Guatemala), short for its original name La Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad … Read more