Archive for September, 2009
Cloud Nine: The Tzantizotz Nature Reserve
The swirling mist dusts Volcán San Pedro in a muted dove gray, catching dawn’s sunrays and washing it in an ethereal glow. The steely-mirrored waters of Lake Atitlán are quiet, rippled only by the wake of a distant boat that slides across its surface. The air is still, cool and refreshing. This awe-inspiring view is the reason that Lake Atitlán is undisputedly one of the world’s most beautiful lakes. It is here, in the moment and in the quiet that one can touch the magnificence of God’s creation.
On The Rocks
Giving up is simply not an option for La Antigua Guatemala’s Rock Climbing Club. Despite more than 18 months without receiving allotted funds, the club still climbs on. Before January 2008, the government largely supported the Climbing Association of Sacatepéquez (AANSAC). Now, club leader Felipe Álvarez says although the government’s Climbing Foundation is still responsible [...]
Chilascó’s Hidden Treasure
text and photos by Anthony Brindisi At 133 meters, the majestic Salto de Chilascó is Central America’s tallest waterfall Guatemala is a country brimming with cultural diversity and natural beauty. It is proudly referred to as “The Soul of the Earth,” and every year between one and two million tourists flock to this multicultural, remarkably [...]
Growing the Industry
photos by Laura McNamara A Guatemalan film crew shares a universal story to highlight their country’s unique virtues in filmmaking. This is a movie crew with a vision: Cru Código wants to train the spotlight on Guatemala, demonstrating to the international community that the “Country of Contrasts” is both a desirable and capable location for [...]
Panajachel Feria
by Ana Flinder photos: Vicoria Stone Panajachel’s patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, is honored in October with a combination of town fair, cultural dances, religous ceremonies, pyrotechnics and parades Next month brings another great opportunity to experience Guatemalan culture and festivity in a way that is very easy on the visitor, especially with the [...]
Would the Real Independence Day Please Stand Up?
Guatemala, El Salvador and their sisters did not win independence on Sept. 15 At our house in Panajachel, July 4 is Independence Day for two reasons. As citizens of the United States, my sons and I observe it in some fashion. But July 4 is also the day that my youngest, Aaron Donald Coop, marks [...]
Requisition-less Water
Highland hospital slakes its thirst and reduces its paperwork—a need, discovered by accident, is met General Jack Ripper, the villain in Dr. Strangelove, uttered a single true statement during his long paranoiac rant. To Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, his hapless audience, Ripper rhetorically asked, “Did you know that 70 percent of you is water, Mandrake?” [...]
Quick Sketch: Seven Questions for Orestes
Briefly describe your art. My art is to represent everything as much as I can in high texture. What is your favorite art medium? Clay. Then once I fire it, it becomes ceramic. When did you learn how to work with clay and ceramic? I was going to take a class in English literature, but [...]
Moving On
Movement is intrinsic to the cosmos. Every point in the entire universe is in motion. The Earth and planets continually revolve around each other, and the galaxy’s stars are constantly circling its center. We can see the rhythm of movement everywhere. Seasons pass into each other, seedlings sprout through soil, days turn into nights and [...]
www.Beware
A new e-mail scam is being directed at extranjeros One of my clients, living in La Antigua Guatemala, received the following e-mail, supposedly from the IRS. Sir/Madam, Our records indicate that you are a non-resident alien. As a result, you are exempted from United States of America Tax reporting and withholdings on interest paid you [...]
Güisquil
text, photos and recipe by Victoria Stone Güisquil (pronounced “weeskeel”) is one of the most common vegetables throughout Mexico, Central America and parts of South America. It has been famously described as a vegetable that looks like an avocado and tastes like a potato. The plant originated in Mexico, where it was known to the [...]
A Honey of a Business
by Judith Cohen An expert’s view on how honey and bees are faring in Guatemala Alejandro Nicol is an expert in the honey business. After studying beekeeping for two years at Ohio State University, he now advises the Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación (MAGA) on the care, feeding, export, import and preservation of bees. [...]
Splenda™ Cooking Party
More than just a beverage sweetener with Alma Díaz photos: César Tián There is nothing like music to get your spirit soaring and your appetite pumping, and this is exactly what happened when Splenda™, the no-calorie sweetener, invited close to 50 guests to prepare sugar-free recipes at La Cocina del Chef Javier in Guatemala City. [...]
Golf Tournament
Last month included the first annual Antigua Invitational Golf Tournament. Played at the spectacular Mayan Golf Club overlooking Lake Amatitlán, the format was “scramble” with four-person teams. The competition was fierce but the lunch gathering afterwards was amiable with prizes for longest drives, closest to the pin, and of course for the lowest scoring team [...]
The Lienzo de Quauhquechollan is considered to be the first map of Guatemala
Click this Link… http://revuemag.com/go/FirstMapGuatemala/ The Lienzo de Quauhquechollan is considered to be the first map of Guatemala. It is also the only firsthand indigenous account of the conquest of Guatemala and one of the few sources to record the military campaigns of Jorge de Alvarado in 1527–1530. The Lienzo was a forgotten relic that had [...]
Thomas Griffin
Tom Griffin, Lake Atitlán’s resident Elvis impersonator and yodeler, has died. The longtime resident of Santa Cruz la Laguna was 76. He was born in Oklahoma and raised in Texas. Lake Atitlán expats called him “Mississippi Tom” to distinguish him from another Texan, also named Tom, and because he settled in Mississippi in the sixties [...]
Cobán’s Rabin Ajau Pageant
text and photos by Gary Kaney Women from more than 90 communities competed last month in the single-most impressive festival of indigenous tradition in Guatemala: the Folkloric Festival of the Rabin Ajau in Cobán and the election of the Princess Tesulutlán. Contestants wore their colorful native finest, including the colorful hüipil, head dress and jewelry [...]
Playground in the Sea
text and photo by Melba Milak Not so long ago, on a warm and sunny afternoon, I came across a parade of porpoises in the Pacific Ocean. They raced by our fishing boat in a display of grace and speed. They leaped over one another in their version of leapfrog; they jumped straight up into [...]
Coffee Forest: El Salvador explores a compensation plan for environmental services
El Salvador’s coffee sector has begun implementing an initiative called “Coffee and Environment” in an effort to conserve the El Salvador coffee forest and the environmental and social-economic benefits that it generates. The plan includes a compensation plan for environmental services, particularly from carbon-dioxide reduction. At a social and economic level, the conservation of coffee [...]
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