Archive for June, 2009
Spectacular, Accessible Iximché Beckons
From Kings to Conquerors, and Proconsuls to Presidents—all have trod here, leaving something and taking something. Most travelers whiz through Tecpán at white-knuckling speed on their way to Lake Atitlán or Quetzaltenango. Some slow down a bit to admire the towering thatches of the Katok and Kape Paulinos restaurants, which form a pastoral skyline. Still [...]
Crafting Clay in Tutuapa
text and photos by Kathy Rousso Food tastes better when it is cooked in a clay pot, everyone agrees. While today enamel and aluminum cookware is found in most kitchens, many cooks still have a clay pot or two for their special dish. Before synthetic materials were available, clay pots, in many shapes and sizes, [...]
Artisty in Wood
text and photos by Ira Lewis Woodcarving in Guatemala Guatemala is fortunate to have a long, rich history of artisan/artists working in many media going back to pre-Colonial times. Most of the ancient sculpted art is seen as carved stone. However, some of the less-durable carvings in wood from this era still survive. We are [...]
Healthcare in Colonial Guatemala
written by Joy Houston photos: Jack Houston Part I: 16th Century What medical options were available centuries ago in Guatemala for wounds from enemy arrows, burns, natural disasters or epidemics? Mixing medicine with magic was routine in colonial days. “Medical science was slave to theory and superstition,” writes Carlos Martínez Durán in Las Ciencias Médicas [...]
Banking The Unbanked
La Fida finds ways to spread and trickle down wealth to rural El Salvador El Salvador is enjoying more economic growth than any other Central American state, according to World Bank indicators. Nevertheless, rapid growth typically increases the disparity in income distribution, particularly in a country still dressing its wounds from the 13-year civil conflict [...]
In Pursuit of Goatsuckers
Speculation on the elusive and mischievous Chupacabra Goatsuckers are not something you see every day. In fact, they are not something that most of us will ever see on any day. Nevertheless, so many Central Americans believe in their existence that, for their sakes, we need to give a fair hearing to the possibility. Whether [...]
Night of the Fire Balls
written by Brent Holmes photos: Winston Scott Festival of the Patron Saint San Antonio Senahú, Alta Verapaz Pretty wild stuff it was that December night of fireballs at the festival of the Patron Saint San Antonio, Senahú. The game is kind of like “dodge ball” except the balls are on fire, like a couple of [...]
Plants of the Montane Forests
written by Ana Lucrecia de MacVean Plantas de los Bosques Montanos Guatemala Ana Lucrecia de MacVean is a botanist, teacher and curator of the Herbarium UVAL, Institute of Research at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. She has been collecting, identifying and studying plants in Guatemala for more than 15 years, and in doing so [...]
Tick Tock
We are surrounded by time from the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we turn off the light at night. Time is a precious resource, like money, love and good feelings—the more we grasp at it, the more elusive it becomes. Time is a continuum measured by events kicked off with birth [...]
Tweets
Twittering is nothing new for Guatemala. Long before North America or even Europe were very civilized, the ancient Maya were sending twitterrific tweets around Mesoamerica. Archaeological digs in Pre-Columbian sites encounter thousands of the clay tweeting devices they used. The tweeters were later carried back to Europe by Cortez and his gang and renamed “ocarinas” [...]
What is the normal lifespan of a Rottweiler?
In general, longevity within a species follows a pattern. Smaller animals of the same species usually live longer than larger animals of the same species. Smaller breeds of horses tend to outlive larger ones. Dwarf mice live longer than standard mice. The canine species mirrors the rest of the animal kingdom with smaller breeds like Chihuahuas [...]
Ode To Old
written by Martin Leadbitter Tales from Hound Heights AWARE no-kill animal sanctuary Sumpango, Guatemala I was in the hills along the Thai-Burmese border, planting rice and appeasing the gods. A movement jarred me from my book, and there was Moisey, struggling to stand from his bed in front of the fire. Something about the exquisitely [...]
Patricia R. Cornell
Patricia Rainsford Cornell, 83, a resident of La Antigua Guatemala and Cape May Point, N.J., passed away on April 28 of cancer. Over the last 15 years, Pat lived much of the year in La Antigua, where she taught English to Guatemalans, volunteered at the library, and helped with many other activities. Pat grew up [...]
Sonsonate – From the land of coconuts to the coffee kingdom
El Salvador is set to impress the world again with its seventh annual “Cup of Excellence” program, thanks to an exquisite selection of 33 coffees that obtained this award after a long screening process through cupping sessions. The maximum award this year was engaged by a farm grown with Pacamara variety, an exotic coffee varietal [...]
Project Ix-canaan
written by Maraya Loza-Koxahn Project Ix-canaan was established in 1995 by Canadian Anne Lossing and Guatemalan doctor Enrique Chapetón in El Remate near Lake Petén Itzá. Her dream to live in a hot climate and a vision of world peace led Anne to the jungle, where she met a man with a complementary vision. Together [...]
June 2009 in Revue Magazine
Our cover story this month takes us to the ruins of Iximché. Writer Dwight Wayne Coop cites many good reasons for visiting the park and an update of what’s new there, as well as a brief history of this battle-torn center of the Kakchikel domain.
