Guatemala English language Magazine
Could two common weeds hold the keys to Guatemala’s independence from petroleum imports? Chances are you’ve seen them, just not recognized them as you drive about Guatemala, especially since one flourishes in the coastal lowlands and the other is widespread in the highlands.
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La Antigua Guatemala was founded as Santiago de Guatemala (St. James of Guatemala). Located previously at the Kaqchikel site of Iximché in 1524 and then next door to Ciudad Vieja (San Miguel Escobar) in 1527, the first city council met in this valley on March 10, 1543. Since St. James is the patron saint of Spain and was the patron […]
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Green has pervaded our July pages in several shades and forms, starting with Jungle green on the cover. Few can capture natural beauty as vibrantly as phototographer and wildlife conservationist Thor Janson. From the palette of Ken Veronda’s Sensuous Guatemala we are offered Emerald in all of its splendor. In Could Weeds Turn Guatemala Green?, Oliver Thornwhistle looks at two […]
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text and photo by William Lynch It was the finals for the Mosquito Division championship of the Open Schools Soccer Tournament. A field full of seven-, eight- and nine-year- olds was struggling to take home the City Champs Trophy, a tiny thing perhaps but very important to these kids. The game was chaotic since children at this age can’t kick […]
Read moreLa Antigua Guatemala, founded in 1543, is surrounded by 15 villages or aldeas. In urban terms, an aldea is part of a municipality, La Antigua being the municipality.
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A quiet place to stay for a El Petén adventure Halfway between Flores and Tikal, El Remate is a quaint, centrally located community within easy reach of breathtaking ruins, mysterious caves, birdwatching, swimming and more. Nestled along the eastern shore of Lago Petén Itzá, El Remate provides a variety of lodging and dining choices, plus scenic vistas of the lake […]
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There was a small shrine on the sidewalk a few weeks ago, consisting of a flickering candle in a tin can, a few flowers and a smiling photograph of Marcía with a large black plastic garbage bag made into a wreath and the typed notice of her recent passing.
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The recent Primer Festival Gastronómico in La Antigua Guatemala centered on the uses of chocolate, primarily cooking with cacao. The highlight of the event however was created by Alex Farrar, owner of a local bistro/art gallery and an excellent artist in his own right (he won first prize at the Venetian Masked Ball in February). Farrar appeared with his easel, […]
Read morewritten by Kathy Torpie Moisture gathers on my skin as I trudge through the thick, heavy air to the market where Mayas in brightly woven clothes endure the heat as they brush the flies from their produce. The only movement of air is my breath, taken in shallow sips, and only the cicadas flourish. Their loud, screeching chorus of sexual […]
Read moreMore than beautiful stone mansions, these were homes of real people with real lives, joys, and sorrows. In Michener’s Poland (1983), a professor who clung to life in a concentration camp pleaded, “Rebuild! Rebuild!” as “the most important thing to do when this nightmare ends…an act of faith, an act of commitment to the future…a testimony to the greatness we […]
Read moreThere is beauty and mystery in your garden around the clock written by S.C. Johnson Day Time You have a pretty good idea of what is going on in your daytime garden, since every day you can watch the main attractions. They include hummingbirds and butterflies, lured by the modern trend of planting hummingbird and butterfly “friendly” plants and flowers. […]
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Deeply ingrained in human nature is the intense yearning to be appreciated. As Mother Teresa said, “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” To be appreciated feels like our birthright, which is probably why we have high expectations. Feeling unappreciated tops the list of universal human complaints. We’ve all heard others lament, “They […]
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Building new lives in Guatemala written by Brian Kirkup Constru Casa was founded in 2004, and by the end of 2010 we hope to have built our 400th home. The houses are basic but effective, consisting of three rooms, concrete walls, a metal roof, a concrete floor, a shower and a toilet. The cost of the house to the family […]
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The International Dance Festival Antigua Guatemala is a feast of dance works in a performance shining with energy and inspiration. The festival’s program was created to delight, excite, captivate and entertain an international audience. Performances of Danceforms’ The 51st International Choreographers’ Showcase will take place at Body Arts in Guatemala City on June 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m. and […]
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Threatened by years of abuse and neglect, the Mirador Basin needs help and it needs it now. The 400-year sliver of history between the biblical Old and New Testaments, sometimes erroneously called the ‘silent years’, packed Planet Earth with progress. Alexander the Great studied at the feet of Aristotle and, zealous to unite the world under Greek culture, conquered his […]
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Etched by nature and bathed in mystique, the winding network of caves known as Actún Kan in Petén truly earned its place in Mayan legend as the Cave of the Serpent’s Mouth.
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I certainly didn’t expect to get a free lesson of what I call Chapiñol, it is maybe 50 percent Spanish and 50 percent Chapinismos. His name was Miguel and he started throwing phrases like: tengo un gran clavo or me echan el muerto. I simply replied yes and/or no, but in truth I had no idea what he was talking about, “I have a big nail” What ???
Read moreGoogle’s fast-growing online translation service will now be able to translate text into and out of Maya and Nahuatl, which are Central American languages that pre-date Spanish. According to the Economic Times, “Nahuatl is mostly spoken in southern Mexico and northern Central America, while Maya is spoken across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, Guatemala and Belize.” The newspaper also says that the […]
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On the cover this month is Dr. Richard Hansen, director of the Mirador Basin Project, in front of an archeological excavation going on at El Mirador. His interview by Joy Houston includes some historical perspective and some future plans for this critically important region of Guatemala. Matt Bokor takes us on two quick side trips: tranquil El Remate and the […]
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Joshua Bell plays Bach at a Metro Station in Washington, D.C. on a cold, January morning The man with a violin played six Bach pieces in about 45 minutes. During that time approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After three minutes a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He […]
Read moreMay 28 and 29 Vermonters Andy Hauty and Joby Dan’Sy, who brought A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Producers and West Side Story to Panajachel, are bringing this month their rendition of Moulin Rouge. The couple have pleased audiences of locals and weekenders for more than four years with their troupe, Atitlán Youth Theatre. Their productions blend modern dance and music […]
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After much anticipation, the Antigua municipality is building a training center (Centro de Capacitación Municipal) at the entrance to the city—near Santa Inés. The center’s focus on weekdays will be on arts and skills for 9th graders, the diversity of classes include everything from baking to mechanical engineering. On weekends the facility will be open to university extension programs. As […]
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Twenty-one paintings are featured in the exhibition, Miniaturas por Harry Thomas Danvers, with the inauguration on May 14 at 7pm. Danvers began his artistic career in the early 70s, studying drawing at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Guatemala City. He explains about his current show, “The idea with the miniature paintings is to make something small seem large, […]
Read moreLooking for Palladin was filmed in La Antigua in 2006, see DateBook, May 7 for information on the premier in Guatemala City. For updates: www.revuemag.com Comments from the Critics REX REED -The New York Observer: The cinematography beautifully captures the dramatic hues of the gorgeous textiles, shifting moods and architectural splendors of Guatemala, which is neither South America nor Mexico, […]
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written by Ignacio Ochoa In the Mesoamerican cosmology, the word nahual signifies “moment of radiance.” It refers to the essence or the spirit of a person, animal or thing, living or dead. This spirit is believed to function as the protector of a person, animal or plant. It is believed that humans have an animal spirit counterpart, received at birth, […]
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Turning a short visit into a long-lasting memory Volcanoes. Lakes. Archeology and architecture. History and culture. Ziplines. Coffee plantations. UNESCO World Heritage sites. Plus, of course, shopping. Guatemala has all these attractions for tourism. But what about the tourist who has only a few days and less than $300? Yes, with planning and time management, that tourist can have a […]
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Guatemala to Machu Picchu “Surprise followed surprise in bewildering succession… Suddenly we found ourselves standing in front of the ruins of two of the finest and most interesting structures in ancient America. Made of beautiful white granite, the walls contained blocks of Cyclopean size higher than a man. The sight held me spellbound…The building did not look as though it […]
Read moreI will never forget my 1988 introduction to Pacas. I refer not to women named Francisca (Paca, for short), although I have met those, too. Fewer all the time, however, since my wife disdains Pacas in any form, capital P or small P. In downtown Guatemala, during siesta hour (still observed in the city back then), I spotted this sign […]
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LAVOSI (Las Voces del Silencio) Like so many, Chris Tackett came to La Antigua Guatemala to learn Spanish, but gradually Antigua, and a growing interest in the plight of the deaf here, lured him to become a full-time resident. He met Álvaro de León C. (a teacher of 30 years) and his son Álvaro who is deaf. Álvaro Jr. received […]
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Here come Guatemala’s Fireflies: It must be May, or is it? written by S.C. Johnson All seafarers know the importance of light, as in lighthouse or beacon. Before GPS, charts showed lights sequences, say one short and two long flashes of lights followed by darkness, and if the navigator spotted the right sequence, he knew where he was. Lighthouses were […]
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