AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com

New Street Sweepers in Antigua

2009-11-20T21:59:20-08:00

The classic image of the old man with his “chiribisco” broom sweeping parks and streets of La Antigua Guatemala is vanishing. The Municipalidad of La Antigua Guatemala has created these new make-shift street sweepers designed for cobblestone streets.

What’s the first image that came to your mind the moment you saw today’s photograph?

Framed Street from Antigua Guatemala It is difficult to frame a shadow, especially if...
Cobblestone Street Worker Cobblestone streets are yet another characteristic of La Antigua...

Antigua’s Arcos de Amor

2009-11-19T20:36:02-08:00

Without the letter “A”

Without you we won’t even have sadness
To lament.
Without you, no longing till death
Or even weeping
For there is no weeping
And love?
Love will disappear.
And love?
No one will remember to remember.
And love?
If it’s lost, no one will be moved to move by a glance.
And love?
Empty word no one will make
Will make love
Will make love
Will make love

(From a children’s stage-play by Elifas Andreato called Sem Você não “A”, in which the letter “A” runs away from the alphabet. -Zé)

The Arches of McDonald’s in La Antigua Guatemala Even fast-food restaurant have exquisite architectonic details to make them...
3D Stereo Photos of La Antigua Guatemala Here I was walking around Antigua with a smile...
Valentine’s Day in La Antigua Guatemala Valentine's Day in Guatemala is known as El Día del...

Stop Violence Against Women in Guatemala

2009-11-18T21:59:32-08:00

Many Guatemalans might regard thrillers and serial killers films as light and interested pieces of fiction because we are confronted with ultra violent headlines in newspapers like Nuestro Diario and Al Día, sensationalist rags that, like mirrors, show us every day how savage we can be. Ironically, Nuestro Diario boasts the largest circulation of any newspaper between Mexico and Colombia. We are desensitized a little more each day!

El morbo vende, mobidness sells, or something similar declared Miguel Ángel Asturias in his novel Weekend en Guatemala. I will spare you some of the morbid news. Suffice it to say, there are real monsters in Guatemala.

So, when my dear friend Renata Ávila, Guatemalan correspondent for Global Voices, sent me the draft of the agenda for the activities leading up to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I was excited that Guatemala was chosen as the site for the global campaign to stop violence against women. I congratulate the organizers and all the people involved in the campaign to bring awareness and sensitivity back.

Below, you can see the calendar of activities for the next three days. Please, help translate the activities in the comments so non-Spanish speakers can learn what’s is going in Guatemala right now.

24 de noviembre:

9:00 a.m. Feria del Conocimiento organizada por la ONU todo el día, por invitación especializada. Participan organizaciones de mujeres especializadas en temas de la Feria. Lugar: Centro cultural Luís Cardoza y Aragón, Embajada de México.

18:00 p.m. Presentación de la obra de teatro El Laberinto de las mariposas, organizada por Alas de Mariposa en el marco del Lanzamiento Regional, abierta y gratuita para todo público, parqueo gratuito y vigilado.

18:00 Vigila en honor de todas las mujeres asesinadas en Guatemala. Organiza la Coordinadora 25 de noviembre independientemente del Lanzamiento. Parque Central frente a la Puerta Principal del Palacio Nacional.

25 de Noviembre:

9:00 a.m. Día Internacional por la Eliminación de la Violencia contra las Mujeres. Caravana, marcha y acto político, organizado por la Coordinadora 25 de noviembre como actividad independiente del Lanzamiento. Punto de encuentro en Plaza Italia, frente a la Municipalidad de Guatemala, recorriendo la 6ta. Avenida de la zona 1 hasta llegar al Parque Central, frente a la puerta principal del Palacio Nacional terminando con un Acto Político.

11:00 a.m. Acto Protocolar del Lanzamiento Regional de la Campaña de la ONU. Palacio Nacional. Una delegada de Feministas en Resistencia de Honduras hablará por el movimiento de mujeres de la región en el marco del acto, entre las presentaciones de diversas delegaciones oficiales de la ONU y el Gobierno.

17:00 Con un Nudo en la Garganta, teatro presentado por Rayuela, Caja Lúdica y UNAMG en el marco del “Encuentro Latinoamericano de Arte Comunitario”. Lugar: 6ª Ave. Entre 2ª. Y 3ª. Calle, frente a sede Caja Lúdica.

18:00 Concierto Juvenil Ya no más violencia contra las mujeres organizado por la ONU con la Municipalidad de Guatemala. Entre los grupos, canta Naik Madera de mujeres jóvenes, patrocinadas por el Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres en el marco del Lanzamiento Regional.

26 de noviembre:
(Todas las actividades de las jornadas entre las 14:00 – 20:00 tendrán lugar en la legendaria Plaza del antiguo ferrocarril. Venga a ver porqué el movimiento de mujeres la rescata como tal.)

14:00 Acto de dignificación “Sobreviví, estoy aquí, y estoy viva” mujeres víctimas y sobrevivientes de violación sexual en el conflicto armado, organiza Actoras de Cambio en el marco del Lanzamiento Regional. Plaza Justo Rufino Barrios en la ciudad en 18 calle y 9ª. Ave. Zona 1

16:30 Concierto CANTARTE, mujeres centroamericanas: Sandra Morán (Guatemala), Ana Carter (Costa Rica) y Karla Lara (Honduras) en el marco del Lanzamiento Regional. Plaza Justo Rufino Barrios.

18:00 Marcha de Faroles en homenaje a todas las mujeres desaparecidas durante el conflicto, organizados por el Colectivo Artesana en el marco del Lanzamiento Regional. Plaza Justo Rufino Barrios.

Stop Violence Against Women the World Over Se empieza cediendo con las palabras. —Esperanza, mi esposa...
Guatemalan Women Are Moving! I am happy to report that slowly but surely...
Arch-framed Women in Jocotenango This is very simple image will allow us to play...

Stop Violence Against Women the World Over

2009-11-17T19:11:58-08:00

Se empieza cediendo con las palabras. —Esperanza, mi esposa
We begin to yield with words. —Esperanza, my wife

Psychology 101: we begin the desensitization process the moment we incorporate into our daily vocabulary words and comments, jokes or phrases that belittle women; even if the remarks or phrases seemed insignificant. The same applies for the intolerance towards other people who are different than us. We begin to yield with words to negative thoughts and sentiments. That’s where violence and intolerance begins; bigoted and discriminatory words as seeds.

Guatemala is a very sick country. Guatemala began its desensitization with the civil war sparked by a coup orchestrated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the 1954 Guatemalan coup d’état. Guatemala was forced to assimilate ultra violence as normality. Nowadays, there are more violent acts than during the civil war years. We are so desensitized now that we see all kinds of weapons everyday, everywhere, and we see them as normal; as part of the scenery, part of the landscape. No wonder that not too long ago Prensa Libre reported that Guatemala was the fourth most violent country in Latin America.

As I write these words, I hear shotguns go off in our colonia, residential neighborhood, as part of “safety” procedures. Every night the shotguns are fired; bullet the blue sky. Who came up with this absurd idea that we will be safer by firing shots in the middle of the night, in the middle of our neighborhood, in the middle of our dreams, in the middle of our hearts. Who? I want to know! I demand to know. How did we get here?

I do not want to hear gun shots as normal. I refuse to take violent acts as normal. I do not want to be desensitized towards all the manifestations of violence. I do not want to see naked guns on the streets; at the entrance of banks; with every delivery truck; at shops and every tiendita in the country.

I do not want to be part of the problem. I will not yield to words that belittle women or other people. I will not. I want to be part of the solution.

I have been invited to participate in a blogging campaign under the name of Únete para poner fin a la violencia contra las mujeres (Unite to put an end to the violence against women). We at AntiguaDailyPhoto are happy to be part of this campaign.

At AntiguaDailyPhoto I shared with you about the documentary Killer’s Paradise by Director Giselle Portenier on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in 2006. I also mentioned the No más campaign by Amnesty International to stop the killings of women in Guatemala; again in 2006.

This is a fragment of what I wrote then:

To me, it is unacceptable that the government and the police forces do so little or nothing to protect women. Last year [2005] over 665 women were killed and there was not a single arrest for them. I support the NO MÁS (no more) campaign and the new law project now in the Guatemalan Congress to protect women’s safety and integrity.

In 2009, there will be a major campaign to eliminate the violence against women the world over. This campaign begins tomorrow in Guatemala City. I will be bringing you campaign program updates and links to blogs with information and supporting this campaign.

18 de noviembre

Círculo de Reflexión con Columnistas, en el marco de la Campaña.
Expositoras: Doctora Nadine Gasman, directora Fondo de Población de Naciones Unidas.
Doctora Ana Silvia Monzón, del movimiento social de mujeres en Guatemala. 7:30 a.m.

22 de noviembre.

Festival por la Vida de las Mujeres en el Parque Central, frente a la puerta principal del Palacio Nacional. 14:00 p.m. en adelante. Organiza independientemente del Lanzamiento la Coordinadora 25 de Noviembre.

Stop Violence Against Women in Guatemala Many Guatemalans might regard thrillers and serial killers films...
Guatemalan Women & Killer’s Paradise Today is the International Day for the Elimination of...
Where are the Maya women going to? To be what I am is not a something...

Milk Delivery in Antigua Guatemala

2009-11-16T21:59:36-08:00

I am sure this is the first time many of you see a milk delivery service like the one we have in Guatemala. Basically, two or three shepherd boys guide a herd of goats, cabras in Guatemalan Spanish, around town selling the drawn-on-the-spot glass of milk for Q5/$0.60. Some people drink the milk directly from the glass, while others boil it first.

Now, you may think these milk deliveries only occur in the rural communities of Guatemala, but as you can see in the pictures below, the shepherd boys and their sheep can be found even the Downtown Guatemala City, known as Centro Histórico. Can you imagine El Señor Presidente coming out of his bureau in the National Palace to drink some fresh milk? Only in Guatemala, I tell you!

This milk delivery approach puts a new twist of the term “fresh milk”, don’t you think?

Fuel Home Delivery in La Antigua Guatemala Other colonial measurements still in use in present-day Guatemala are:...
Produce Delivery I know that one can go every day to...
Buying the Afternoon Delivery Guatemalan Bread ...

La Antigua Guatemala Sign Ordinances

2009-11-15T19:31:20-08:00

So, finally I have gotten a copy of La Antigua Guatemala’s sign ordinances. I received two legal-size pages with almost Illegible text on both sides (let’s call it the 100-generation photocopy effect) from El Consejo Nacional para la Protección de La Antigua Guatemala, CNPAG. Half guessing half deciphering, I was able to draw the information from the photocopies.

Of course, if I had bothered to look the CNPAG.ORG website first, I could have saved lots of time by downloading the PDF document Requisitos para licencia de rótulos. Hah! don’t you forget that La Antigua Guatemala is a very modern city!

Here’s a little summary of what the PDF documents below describe at length:

Lineamientos para obtener Licencia de Rótulos

The sign can be any of this three dimensions .70m x 70m square, .50m x 1m rectangle and .25m x 2m rectangle. The sign can only include any two of the following materials: wood, metal, ceramic tiles, bronze and forged metal. Three is the maximum limit of colors that can be used; with a matte finish. The business sign can only have a logo and name of business and nothing more. The sign must be in Spanish and following the grammatical rules set forth by the Real Academia de la Lengua Española; text in other languages can be included as long as it’s set at a much lower size and must include at least French and English. The typography (font) should be roman typeface (up and lower case) and can not be a modern-looking font. Synthetic materials and glass are forbidden.

No advertising signs and/or billboards can be placed within 4 kilometers on the road coming from Guatemala City; anywhere on the roads between La Antigua Guatemala and Alotenango, Santa María de Jesús and San Luis las Carretas (road to Chimaltenango).

Here are the three PDF documents which are required to obtain a sign license:

Lineamientos para obtener Licencia de Rótulos — Sign License Requirements (PDF download at CNPAG)
Reglamento para la colocación de rótulos o letreros — Sign Placement Ordinance (PDF download at CNPAG)
Solicitud de Licencia de Rótulo — Sign License Application (PDF download at CNPAG)

The La Antigua Guatemala sign ordinances were enacted on March 23, 1973. All existing signs were given 12 months to comply with the new sign ordinances.

A quick scan at the sign category would reveal that many of the regulations and requirements are not being observed or adhered by many businesses.

Posada El Antaño Sign We continue feeding the sign category with a sign...
Sabe Rico Wooden Sign in La Antigua Guatemala Here’s a second wooden sign for the Sabe Rico...
Alto – Stop Sign in La Antigua Guatemala The flavor in life is found in the little details....

Posada El Antaño Sign

2009-11-14T21:59:07-08:00

We continue feeding the sign category with a sign made from ceramic tiles. There are over 106 sign entries thus far.

You know, there are sign ordinances that stipulate the size and materials that can be used in signage in and around La Antigua Guatemala. Would you like to learn what the sign ordinances are?

Hotel Posada San Vicente Sign It’s amazing how creative are the sign makers around...
La Antigua Guatemala Sign Ordinances So, finally I have gotten a copy of La...
Porta Hotel Antigua Parking Lot Sign I am a sucker for signs and La Antigua Guatemala...

Best View: Arguable, Best Michelada: Hands Down

2009-11-13T21:59:49-08:00

The most obvious draw to dining at Café Sky is the view. Those camped out on the restaurant’s rooftop terrace can spot Volcanoes, Cerro de la Cruz, Tanque de la Unión and the Church of San Fransisco El Grande (pictured) from the high vantage point. A local magazine even claims the restaurant has the best view of La Antigua. I think that is arguable to Cerro de la Cruz, El Sereno and some private residential houses with excellent views that I’ve had the lucky pleasure of knowing, but the vista is stunning nonetheless.

Yet, aside from the view, the restaurant has, what is for me, “hands down” the best Michelada in town. That is, the best kind with the tomato-hot sauce mix. There is another kind that uses just lime, salt and Worcestershire sauce expertly applied to your can of beer, but for the full out Michelada mix, Cafe Sky is it.

I also fancy their breaded mushroom dish… wow, now I’m hungry!

text and photos by Laura McNamara

Cuddling Couple at the Cross I wonder if the lookout point has been dubbed "make-out...
Inside View at La Naranja Pelada Restaurant Guy's description of the restaurant fit it to the t:...
A Room with a View The view above of Volcán de Agua is from...

Wandering around Mesón Panza Verde

2009-11-12T21:59:17-08:00

I spent four months in La Antigua before I finally ventured to Mesón Panza Verde, one of the most renowned restaurants in La Antigua Guatemala. Yoga classes are what drew me… and I finally learned what the hype is all about. The restaurant/hotel is a stunning old house of brick, stone and fine wood. Plants seem to spill from the walls and ledges in various courtyards. Provoking art is scattered everywhere. Much of the art is created by the owner, yet the work of many other artists is often featured and displayed as well. At night, the dining room is lit in the glow of soft candlelight. The first night I dined there, my friend and I chose the table next to the floor-to-ceiling wine rack – imagining for a second it was all ours. Hehehe.

You can also dine in a stone “den” where live Cuban music is hosted on Friday nights. A long sliver of water shimmers in the rays of light that spill through openings in the stone “den” during the days. I tried escargot for the first time at Panza Verde. The butter sauce the juicy snails were smothered in was delicious. My favorite food that I’ve tried at Panza Verde, however, is the Camembert cheese with raspberry sauce. ¡Qué rico!

Follow a winding stone staircase laced in ivy in the front courtyard and you’ll find a charming terrace with hammocks, a small little art gallery beneath the traditional colonial cupola. Wander on and discover another, larger room that serves as yet another place to display art as well as the yoga studio. In this room, you’ll also delight in a great view of another Panza courtyard below. Venture up yet another staircase – this one iron – to find yet another terrace that places you at eye-level with the rooftops, everything still adorned in lush green plants and bright colorful flowers. Continuing on, over a little rooftop “bridge,” you can rest on one of several stone benches, carved in ornate decoration.

text and photos by Laura McNamara

The Mesón Panza Verde’s Pet The Mesón Panza Verde is one the best Bed-n-Breakfast...
Green Gleen at Panza Verde Photographing green is an obsession for me. There is...
Best View: Arguable, Best Michelada: Hands Down The most obvious draw to dining at Café Sky...

Gran Courtyards of Espacioce!

2009-11-11T21:11:39-08:00

The entire property of Espacioce! or the Centro de Cooperación de la Formación Española is impressive. Yet, many never venture beyond the ruins outside to discover the impressive rows of arches that enclose a grand expanse of manicured lawn inside the Compañía de Jesús building. The first courtyard is centered around a typical Antigueño fountain that sits amid a sea of bright green grass. Rest on the benches to enjoy the soft sound of the water. Then, glance up to appreciate the rich, wrap-around, wooden balcony on the second level.

The next courtyard is outlined in yellow, with bright pink flowers perched on windowsills high above. Below the terraces and balconies are rooms filled with art or with books. Many don’t know that the cultural center hosts an extensive library.

The center hosts a free cultural movie every Wednesday and one of my favorite photo expositions – Laberintos III – just wrapped up. A few weeks ago Espacioce! hosted a flamenco show outside, in the shadow of ancient ruins.

Does anyone else take advantage of the art and cultural events hosted at Espacioce!? What have been some of your favorites?

text and photos by Laura McNamara

Arches at the Compañía de Jesús Building in Antigua Guatemala The Compañía de Jesús Building has to be one...
Wandering around Mesón Panza Verde I spent four months in La Antigua before I...
Reading Area at the Compañía de Jesús Library From the reception desk, we move to the reading area,...

La Colina: Little Getaway from LAG

2009-11-10T20:10:34-08:00

To be honest, I’m not a huge meat eater. Yet, I’m not a vegetarian either. I will splurge every once in a while on a “meat feast” and one of my favorite places to go is a little known restaurant perched on the side of the road on the way to Lake Atitlán.

La Colina is little more than a wooden shack and that is precisely what’s so delightful about it. Pulling off to the side of the road, you step out into the crisp, cool air, greet the family and order the traditional plate of juicy chorizo. In moments the air beneath the little wooden shelter fills with a hearty smoke, rich with the succulent smells of the sausage. The meal arrives on a wooden plate with grilled potato, grilled spring onions, black beans, and Guatemala’s infamously pungent cheese. Lime, salsa, salt and picante are also provided to garnish the meal to your liking. Of course, freshly made tortillas are part of the experience. But, these tortillas are extra special – they’re my favorite, the blue ones! I always order the rich, cinnamon flavored hot chocolate to warm my hands and my belly as I impatiently wait for my food. I delight in the little clay cups that the hot chocolate comes in – formed in an ancient shape meant to lock in the warmth.

I first discovered La Colina when a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to go out for lunch. Thinking he meant eating out in a restaurant here in La Antigua Guatemala (LAG), I obliged and had no idea I was up for the wonderful little road trip, little more than a half hour outside La Antigua. The drive to get there is just as much a part of the experience. Every once in a while it is nice to escape the colonial town of LAG and venture out into the surrounding rolling hills. The road winds up and around until you suddenly find yourself passing through small mountains, with valleys dipping below a sky blanketed in puffy clouds that appear close enough to caress.

text and photos by Laura McNamara

Guatemalan Fair: The Charcoal-broiled Meat Booth The charcoal-grilled meat stall has gotten so hip that you...
Wooden Angels, Archangels and Saints We continue with the repetition theme. The Guatemalan Catholic...
Traditional Guatemalan Mole Guatemalan mole is very similar to mole poblano, which is...

Craving Corn: Elote

2009-11-09T19:11:26-08:00

One of the things I look forward to most when venturing out on a little jaunt outside of La Antigua is elote. There is a strip along the road that heads to Chimaltenango that is lined with Maya women fanning their grilled corn, waving drivers to stop for a quick roadside treat. You can find elote in La Antigua Guatemala (LAG), but the traditional munchie just seems a bit more rico when you’re in the car driving through the rural highlands surrounding LAG. And talk about an excellent alternative to fast food. I wish I could drive down the highway in the U.S. and quickly pull through a drive-through for a freshly grilled elote instead of greasy, stale french fries!

It’s also fun to think about the tradition behind the Maya and their connection to corn as you get elote caught in your teeth. According to Popol Vuh —a sacred book that is casually referred to as the Maya Bible— the first man and woman were made from corn. Thus, corn is a huge part of the Maya culture and diet. Unfortunately, corn has predominated the diet of the poorer populations so much that they lack vital variance in nutrients due to their reliance on the staple crop.

text and photos by Laura McNamara

We’re Men of Maize It is impossible to think the Guatemalan, Mexican and...
Guatemalan Fair: The French Fries Stall Papas fritas is the Guatemalan Spanish name for French fries....
Guatemalan Cuisine: Frijoles colorados Frijoles colorados or red beans is the second best...

The Rainy Season is Officially Over!

2009-11-08T12:22:45-08:00

The 2009 rainy season that officially began on April 24 is now over. Nevertheless, before the end, we received 1″ (over 25 mm) of rain between Fridays and Saturday. These last rains were caused by the Hurricane Ida. Hurricane is one of the few Mayan words that have made it into the global scene.

In Maya mythology, Tepeu and Gucumatz (also known as Kukulkan, and as the Aztec’s Quetzalcoatl) are referred to as the Creators, the Makers, and the Forefathers. Huracán (Hurricane), or the Heart of Heaven, also existed and is given less personification. He acts more like a storm, of which he is the god. Tepeu and Gucumatz hold a conference and decide that, in order to preserve their legacy, they must create a race of beings who can worship them. Huracán does the actual creating while Tepeu and Gucumatz guide the process. (source: Maya Creation according to the Popol Vuh at Crystalinks)

By the way, Now we’re talking about the weather, I’d like to share with you the cutting-edge work being done my dear friend Norman of ClimaYa.com who’s setting up real-time weather stations all over Guatemala so we can have up-to-the-minute accurate meteorological data. If you visit the ClimaYa.com web site, you can scan the different weather station on the sidebar as well as read the most recent eye-witness tweets for Guatemala and Costa Rica. Check it out!

This morning the weather changed dramatically with an almost clear skyline, except for a few clouds over Volcán de Agua, and quite comfortable temperatures.

With the Rainy Season Comes the Rainbow Season In Guatemala the rainy season brings the rainbow season...
Touring La Antigua Guatemala during the Rainy Season Touring around Guatemala can be tough during the rainy season,...
The last days of the rainy season We are on the last leg of the rainy...

Dancing Shadow at Las Capuchinas Ruins

2009-11-07T21:59:27-08:00

The night of Friday, November 6, was the successful inauguration of the first exhibit of the Club Fotográfico de Antigua. There were a large number people interested in seeing the photographic work of the club members which in only 4 months have amassed a large quantity of imagery.

There are close to 80 images hanging from the cloister walls of Convento Las Capachuchinas showing emotive portraits of elderly people and working children, macro shots of flowers, captivating images of happiness and freedom, and, of course, literal and allegorical pictures of ruins and churches.

The evening’s spectacular and eclectic soundtrack was spun by virtuoso DJ BradElectro, who also lent his dancing shadow for today’s entry.

If you’re or will be in La Antigua Guatemala for the next three weeks, don’t miss the chance to stop by Convento Las Capuchinas ruins to check out and support an local charity through the purchase the photographs hanging at the cloister.

Salsa Dancing Schools in Antigua Guatemala There’s got to be as many salsa dancing schools...
San José el Viejo ruins in Antigua There are many ruins in Antigua, most of them, are...
Baroque Columns at El Carmen Ruins The El Carmen Ruins show cases some of the...

Sumpango’s Cemetery for All Saints’ Day

2009-11-06T21:59:23-08:00

The two most important towns that have giant kite flying on Todos los santos, All Saints’ Day and Día de los difuntos, Day of the Dead, are Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez. However, both days are celebrated throughout Guatemala by going to the cemetery to remember the dead, to take flowers, to clean and paint the burial sites and crypts and to feast at the graves. That’s where the colorful fiambre chapin plays an important role since it is food that you can take already prepared to the cemetery and does not go bad for a long time. In the fiambre dish most of the vegetables are pickled and the meats are cold-cuts.

In the picture above, you can have a panoramic view of the cemetery of Sumpango. Below, there’s another video that shows what happens when a giant kite is not able to take off and fly. Enjoy!

Under a Giant Kite from Sumpango Shoot! I forgot to mention I also recorded some...
Kites On Sale The Guatemalan word for kite is barrilete. Papalote is the...
A Day Among the Giant Kites of Sumpango What can I say, today was a day with...