Archive for April 1st, 2009
Springtime for Chicharra and Chiquirín
Lovesick cicadas electrify the air with an amorous din as they hurdle from puberty to old age “In the spring,” wrote Tennyson in his poem Locksley Hall, “a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” The same could be said of old cicadas in Central America. Every spring, millions of them emerge from [...]
Sensuous Guatemala: Semana Santa
Colorful carpets, thumping bands, pungent odors, rich tastes, thick crowds—through the Lenten season, into Palm Sunday and Semana Santa, Holy Week, all five senses are overwhelmed in every Guatemalan city and village, but nowhere more than in La Antigua Guatemala with its colonial traditions and frequent processions. Intricate floral designs, forming colorful alfombras, carpets, are [...]
Holy Week in Quetzaltenango
Colorful and solemn processions will traverse many streets in Central America during Semana Santa (Holy Week) with La Antigua Guatemala’s commemoration of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection among the most elaborate in the World. Each church has its own procession featuring a massive float (anda) carried on the shoulders of as many as 80 colorfully-robed church [...]
Semana Santa on the Lake: San Pedro La Laguna
written by Ana Flinder Semana Santa is undoubtedly the most festive week of the year in Guatemala, celebrated with the most pomp and grandeur in La Antigua, and with deeply traditional ceremonies and indigenous style in Santiago Atitlán. Both of these destinations require advanced bookings for lodging but are not the only places to experience a [...]
Aconcagua Expedition 2009
written by Kathy Nuñez Töpke A team of four Antigüeños and one Quetzalteco recently embarked on a journey to climb Aconcagua (Argentina), the highest mountain peak in the Americas, at 6,962 meters above sea level. The team members were: Manuela Rosales, Omar Salomón Soto, Manuel Álvarez, Vinicio Álvarez (guide) all from La Antigua, and Manuel [...]
FOTOKIDS
Fotokids breaks the cycle of poverty afflicting Guatemalan youth using photography, graphic design and media technology as a voice for disenfranchised youth to examine their lives, families, communities and environment. Participants from some of the poorest barrios learn employable skills opening new opportunities, promoting self-esteem; leadership; critical thinking; and desire for continued education. Students receive [...]
3Q and the Tomato Paste War
Dealing with Lilliputian cans of sauce and questionable quantification quirkiness on our retail shelves Tomato paste is mentioned in Guatemala’s Constitution. I have yet to find the paragraph, section, and clause, but I’m certain it is there. The law in question requires all cans of tomato paste sold here to be the 6-ounce variety. You [...]
Open Windows
Try to imagine schools without books. Then imagine an organization that works with schools and families not only to provide books, but learning opportunities for children and parents. Open Windows (Ventanas Abiertas) operates a much-needed library and educational enrichment center with a computer lab in San Miguel Dueñas, Guatemala. In less than seven years Open Windows has grown from [...]
Museo de Santiago
text and photos by Ira Lewis The Museo de Santiago de los Caballeros in La Antigua Guatemala is a must see. It’s among several museums and many churches and ruins in La Antigua, but most people miss it, even though it is located right on the fringe of Central Park. Although under-funded and in need [...]
Holy Week Handbook
The third edition of Elizabeth Bell’s Lent and Holy Week in La Antigua hits the shops just in time for the crowds that hit the town for this year’s celebrations. When first approached in the early 1990s with, “You should do a book on Holy Week,” her response was, “What? We go into hiding during [...]
Nazarenos de Guatemala
written by José Carlos Flores L. This beautifully-crafted collector’s book features a 180 page, full-color photographic collection of Guatemalan figures of Jesus Christ. Measuring 13×13, it is cloth bound and printed in Guatemala City by Print Studio. “This book attempts through the various photographs to carry our faith to the hearts of Guatemalans who live [...]
Culture Unshocked: Toys and Play
written by Ana Flinder Not long ago, while perusing the endless tables piled high with used North American clothes at the Saturday paca market in La Antigua, I found a little T-shirt that caught my eye. It was about the right size for a 5 year old, and on it read “I want it— You [...]
Passion Where Art Thou?
Where has passion gone? Unfortunately, the misconceptions surrounding passion have relegated it to one of the “deadly emotions.” It’s not surprising considering the definition: emotions as distinguished from reason: intense, driving or overmastering feeling or conviction. We all want to be civilized, well-balanced and rational beings. So we try to steer clear of those ungainly [...]
Semana Santa on the Lake: Santiago Atitlán
written by Ana Flinder Those of you who have your place to stay in La Antigua Guatemala for Semana Santa are sure to enjoy what is known as the second-biggest and most spectacular Semana Santa celebration in the world. (Second only to Sevilla, Spain, so they say.) And you know who you are. Because they [...]
Canine Compulsive Disorder
I have a mixed breed dog that constantly licks everything. She does not lick herself so much that she gets sores, but she always wants to lick something, including us. Is this a medical problem? Incessant licking can be a manifestation of canine compulsive disorder, which is a psychological syndrome characterized by repetitive activities. These activities can [...]
Tax Time for U.S. Citizens
written by Steven Pittser If you are a U.S. citizen, the rules for filing income tax returns are generally the same whether you live in the States or abroad. The following is a brief summary of the criteria that would require an individual to file a 2008 tax return. If you are married filing jointly [...]
Coffee, a perfect way to enhance your business experience
Coffee can be, in many ways, an integral part of a customer’s experience at your restaurant. Burt Lancaster, the famous actor, once said: “I judge a restaurant by the bread and by the coffee.” His quote couldn’t be truer, and here’s why. Imagine guests arriving for a highly anticipated meal, which required a lot of [...]
April 2009 in Revue Magazine
As the spectacular photograph by Byron Ortiz on our cover this month demonstrates, La Antigua is a great place to be for Holy Week. But Semana Santa celebrations take place throughout Guatemala with beautiful processions and intricate alfombras (carpets) to be found from Guatemala City to Quetzaltenango to the Lake region. This year in the [...]
