I pride myself of knowing every little corner of La Antigua Guatemala so whenever I discover a hidden aspect in this colonial town I get excited. This was the case, when I made a wrong turn and walked into this pila I could not resist pulling my camera and making a HDR photograph. See, for … Read more
I have mentioned it a few times, but let me repeat it again. There’s are aesthetic principles which are used and apply to design and architecture to make then look and fit harmoniously and coherently into the Antigua Guatemala enchanting environment. Take this water tank and washbasins for instance, which I am not sure it’s … Read more
Palo de Izote is the Mesoamerican cousin of the Joshua or Yucca tree. I have a fascination with the Izote tree; I don’t know why, maybe its many branches that look like arms and hands. Anyhow, I like it and it’s used often in the hedgerows around Antigua Guatemala. Its white flowers are edible and … Read more
The venerable colonial pila from Guatemala is often in my focus, don’t you agree? Now, if you can tell exactly how many pilas, washbasins, have appeared in AntiguaDailyPhoto since May 1, 2006, I will mail you a post card made from the washbasin photo you choose. Good luck to all players! [gmap]
The first step of making the Guatemalan washbasin is to set the concrete mold pieces and then filling it with concrete. The concrete mold pieces are covered with burnt oil so they don’t stick to the fresh new concrete. The whole process from setting up the mold pieces to putting the final details like white … Read more
Actually, I should say removing the mold pieces. Basically, to manufacture pilas, washbasins, there four basic steps: Set the mold pieces and iron rods pieces to serve as skeleton. The mold concrete pieces are applied a light layer of burnt oil so they don’t stick to new concrete structure. Fill it with concrete and wait … Read more
These pilas go for a little over Q500/$60 because they use higher quality paint and more cement in the concrete mixture. Cheaper pilas can be had for a little as Q300/$36. Don Eduardo González shared with me that he knows people who have over 20-year old pilas manufactured by him. Also, he made it very … Read more
First of all, I read ALL your comments. I don’t always find time to reply every single comment, but I do read each one. Second, I keep requests in my to-do list. Third, eventually I get to your requests as time and circumstance allow. Fourth, I don’t follow a logic order; what can I say, … Read more