The Jewel in the Crown

What started as a blank square in the original drawings, La Antigua’s Parque Central grew and morphed in fits and starts for 467 years to meet the needs...

The Jewel in the Crown

A Tale of Two Generals

These republics did not have to fight either Spain or Mexico for their independence. But they did fight each other during the Federation period (1824-1839)....

A Tale of Two Generals

Mayan Royal Tomb Unearthed

In the dense jungle of Guatemala, in the Petén Basin region which is home to the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, looming pyramids, looted tombs and overgrown...

Mayan Royal Tomb Unearthed
September 2010 in Revue Magazine

September 2010 in Revue Magazine

The tomb was found on May 28 of this year. Co-director for the bi-national Archaeological Project El Zotz, Edwin Román Ramírez, believes it is the burial chamber of King Chak’ Ahk, one of the first kings of a Mayan dynasty to settle in El Zotz. The tomb contained caches of elaborate stucco masks and ceramic [...]

Recent Posts

The Jewel in the Crown

The Jewel in the Crown

What started as a blank square in the original drawings, La Antigua’s Parque Central grew and morphed in fits and starts for 467 years to meet the needs of each new generation.

A Tale of Two Generals

A Tale of Two Generals

These republics did not have to fight either Spain or Mexico for their independence. But they did fight each other during the Federation period (1824-1839).

Mayan Royal Tomb Unearthed

Mayan Royal Tomb Unearthed

In the dense jungle of Guatemala, in the Petén Basin region which is home to the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, looming pyramids, looted tombs and overgrown paths that once served as Mayan superhighways speak of an era of ancient kingdoms and powerful warring dynasties. It’s easy to die and be forgotten here for thousands [...]

T.E.S.S. Unlimited

T.E.S.S. Unlimited

Making a difference Tessa de Goede is a 27-year-old Dutch woman who came to Guatemala three years ago. After doing volunteer work in several countries she found out that helping children with cleft lips was the work that touched her the most. “It’s just a feeling I have inside when I see a baby with [...]

Who signed Guatemala’s Declaration of Independence?

In reviewing my ancestry, I found that my great-great-great-great-great grandfather, John Witherspoon (New Jersey), signed the Declaration of Independence of the United States. Perhaps that is why I became more interested in who signed the Declaration of Independence of Guatemala on September 15, 1821. The 18th century brought rising commerce and an emerging merchant community [...]

September 2010 in Revue Magazine

September 2010 in Revue Magazine

The tomb was found on May 28 of this year. Co-director for the bi-national Archaeological Project El Zotz, Edwin Román Ramírez, believes it is the burial chamber of King Chak’ Ahk, one of the first kings of a Mayan dynasty to settle in El Zotz. The tomb contained caches of elaborate stucco masks and ceramic [...]

A Cure for Cobblestones

A Cure for Cobblestones

Transitions creates 10 years of mobility in Antigua Transitions Foundation, an Antigua-based organization dedicated to supporting and empowering Guatemalans with disabilities, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its wheelchair workshop. The workshop offers employment opportunities, currently to nine people with disabilities, and produces affordable and custom-tailored wheelchairs and mobility devices for those in need. History [...]

Are You Creating a Masterpiece?

Life is a huge canvas onto which we can throw as much paint as we wish. A divine gift is the power to create whatever we want. It’s woven into the fabric of our being. Since we’re hardwired to create, we hold the brush with which to design the life we choose. Are you creating [...]

Sapphire

Sapphire

Sapphires sparkle all around you in Guatemala. Unlike some other gems that must be searched out, sapphires are overhead, underfoot, all around. You can easily bathe in deep, rich pools of sapphire. No, not the imported jewelry gems found in stores, but rather in nature throughout this “land of eternal spring.” The Pacific and Caribbean [...]

Dr. Lee Valenti 1928-2010

Dr. Lee Valenti 1928-2010

Dr. Lee Valenti, who like Huckleberry Finn fled from American consumerism’s attempts to “sivilize” her, has died in Panajachel. She was 82. 
The former literature professor left her job at New York’s Hoffstra University in 1975, after long involvement in anti-war, civil rights, and environmental movements. With her divorce complete and her children grown, she [...]

Brooks Buderus 1918-2010

Brooks Buderus 1918-2010

A TOAST IN HONOR OF BROOKS Offered by Mark, Matt, David and Paul Thompson, Audrey’s sons (July 8, 2010) Brooks Buderus was a man of many loves, especially his love for his soul mate of over 40 years, his devoted wife—our mother, Audrey. Together they loved and lived life as a big adventure, an approach [...]

Festival de Música Antigua

The Direccción General de las Artes del Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes and Hotel Casa Santo Domingo present the 2nd Festival de Música Antigua starting Saturday August 14 through Sunday 22. The festival features the musical groups Capilla de La Asunción, Coro Nacional, Ensamble Barroco de Guatemala, Dúo Galante from Mexico, Ganassi from Costa Rica [...]

Guatemala Reconquers the Cute Lid

“Cute Lid City” might be what U.S. truckers would name Tapachula if they drove down this far. Why? Well, a tapa is a lid, and chula means cute. Long before truckers existed, the city was called the Pearl of Soconusco. You may or may not agree with this labeling. But if you are reading this, [...]

Why do we have “mermaids” in La Antigua Guatemala?

Why do we have “mermaids” in La Antigua Guatemala?

Mermaids appear in literature much after the fountain in Central Park was built by Diego de Porres in 1738. While today we might think of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid (1836), the fountain clearly pre-dates the fairytale. In using the Spanish word “sirenas,” we find sirens originally in Greek mythology that are often portrayed [...]

Farming Organically

Farming Organically

written by Dianne Carofino photos: George Carofino What makes a farm “organic,” one that grows organic produce? We put that question to Alex Kronick as we tour Caoba Farms, his five-acre organic farm on the outskirts of La Antigua Guatemala. Alex began his business six years ago, originally selling organic produce to one restaurant, and [...]