October – November Traditions in Guatemala

With the close of another school year the first week in October, there is excitement in the air. Soon the rains will abate and the winds will usher in the Kites of November. More about Guatemalan Kites of November: Traditional Kite Making in Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala   In Guatemala, most everyone looks forward to the coming holidays. On Oct. 31, […]

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Traditions of Guatemala – Winners of the Revue Photo Contest August 2018

photo contest

Here are the results of Traditions of Guatemala Photo Contest. WINNERS BY POPULAR VOTE WINNERS BY EDITORIAL DECISION THANK YOU to all the participating photographers — Guatemala has such a rich history of traditions. You can see all of the excellent submissions on the Revue Facebook page The winners and a many of the submitted photographs will be published in the August, 2018 digital, […]

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Winners of the Revue Photo Contest, August 2017 “Traditions of Guatemala”

photo contest

WINNERS BY POPULAR VOTE WINNERS BY EDITORIAL DECISION A special thanks to all the participating photographers — The numerous traditions of Guatemala are a sight to behold. The winners and a number of honorable mentions will be published in the August, 2017 issue of Revue. The next photo contest will be announced at the end of July. You can see all […]

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Traditions During Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala

holy week

Lent and Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala are full of century-old traditions. The first processions were held when the Spanish arrived in Guatemala in the 1520s and became very popular throughout the city’s history. When all of the processional sculptures were moved to Guatemala City in 1773 with the capital’s inhabitants, Antigua was able to bring “new” century- old […]

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Día de los Muertos: A Celebration of Life in Guatemala

text and photos by Kerstin Sabene. I wasn’t sure what to expect as we headed out to visit the cemetery in Sumpango on Día de los Muertos. Nov. 1 and 2 is a sacred time in Guatemala when families throughout the country gather at cemeteries to honor their loved ones. As I would soon discover, the ritual is as touching […]

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Messengers in the Wind

Written by Ignacio Ochoa The history of kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez On November 1 and 2, a powerful force stirs in all the towns of Guatemala. Traditional markets are filled with flowers of sempa (orange marigolds), chrysanthemums, wild daisies and the smell of copal—a pre-Columbian incense made from pine resin. People clean family graves and adorn them with cut-out […]

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Coyol Bouquets

Coconut palm…royal palm… date palm…coyol palm…uh, coyol palm? WordWeb Online calls it a tropical American palm with edible nuts and yielding useful fiber. In some countries of Central America, especially Costa Rica and Honduras, it is known for the sweet liquid that flows inside its trunk and is extracted to drink as a 100 per cent natural liquor. Be careful, […]

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Messengers in the Wind

Written by Ignacio Ochoa The history of kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez On November 1 and 2, a powerful force stirs in all the towns of Guatemala. Traditional markets are filled with flowers of sempa (orange marigolds), chrysanthemums, wild daisies and the smell of copal—a pre-Columbian incense made from pine resin. People clean family graves and adorn them with cut-out […]

Read more