Why has there been so much speculation about the Mayan 2012 calendar?
Calendars reflect how cultures and societies view the organization of time and space over the centuries. Many calendars have emerged and many have disappeared or been modified: the Julian calendar, the Republican calendar, the Gregorian calendar and the Mayan calendar to name a few. Each one involved astronomical calculations and incorporate harvests and religious or [...]
Elizabeth Bell receives Orden Diego de Porres award
The Orden Diego de Porres – Gold Award – was awarded to Elizabeth Bell at Capuchinas by the Consejo Nacional Para la Proteccion de La Antigua Guatemala on December 1st. The following is the speech she gave following the presentation. Autoridades eclestiásticas y civiles, Miembros del Consejo Nacional para la Protección de la Antigua Guatemala, [...]
What is happening with the Palace of the Captains General?
A year ago we reported on the back story of the restoration of the Palace of the Captains General in La Antigua Guatemala. The project met all restoration standards with a Q16 million budget and a projected two-plus years worth of work. I have been trained in architectural conservation (ICCROM/Rome), and I am very picky [...]
What is the National Council for the Protection of La Antigua Guatemala?
I am so pleased and honored to be receiving the gold “Orden Diego de Porres” this month in a ceremony celebrating the Consejo’s 42nd anniversary. I am so excited!
How do the police agencies work & how do I reach them?
Authorities request that EVERYONE report crimes to make our cities safer. There are a few different police agencies. Here is information nationwide and specifically for La Antigua Guatemala. The PNC—Policía Nacional Civil—is the main national police force and is within the Ministry of Government. The police commissary also reports to the governor of each department. [...]
What are the Guatemalan elections for this month?
Guatemala holds national elections on Sept. 11 with ballots for president / vice president, 158 departmental Congress members (diputados) and 333 mayors (alcaldes)—each with a four-year term—plus a ballot for 20 members for the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) with a five-year term. The 1986 Constitution limits the presidency to one term. Congress members and mayors may [...]
Why does La Antigua Guatemala now have more aldeas?
Most cities in Guatemala were founded in the 1540s as part of the Spanish territorial “order.” Today municipalities are divided into various categories of smaller urban areas: aldeas, caserios, barrios, colonias and lotificaciones. While aldea may be translated as a village, aldeas are not necessarily occupied by Mayas, as La Antigua Guatemala, in fact, has [...]
Why does La Antigua celebrate St. James’ Day?
The tradition dates to 1543 when the conquistadors named the community Santiago de Guatemala (St. James of Guatemala) after the apostle who was the conquerors’ patron saint and is the patron saint of Spain today. His feast day is July 25. Celebrations in what is now La Antigua Guatemala have been exciting over the centuries, [...]
What is the extent of urban planning in La Antigua?
While the city grid of La Antigua Guatemala was laid out in 1541, it seems that the concept of urban planning was abandoned after the colonial era. Over the years, many groups, including Salvemos Antigua, petitioned the mayors for an urban planning commission. For a centuries-old city, alas, we have a “new” urban planning concept [...]
What’s the church museum just south of La Antigua?
Located next door to the Church of San Juan del Obispo, the museum at the convent is well worth a visit. Originally built in 1547 by Bishop Francisco Marroquín as his private residence, much of the original structure of the church and convent still remain after centuries of renovations. It is one of the most [...]
Do you have tips for enjoying Semana Santa?
Lent and Holy Week celebrations in La Antigua Guatemala can be a bit overwhelming at best. Over the years, I have learned some great tips to enjoy the more than 50 activities during this time of year. Some of them are: Plan ahead and allow plenty of time. Know the times and locations of the [...]
Will there be carpet making and processions during Lent?
La Antigua has the largest celebration in the world for Lent and Holy Week, although second historically to Seville, Spain. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 9, with one of 50 activities during a 40-day period! I love carpet making in Antigua! Sunday processions in March include nearby San Catarina Bobadilla, Santa Inés, and Jocotenango [...]
Backstory on the restoration of the Palace of the Captains General in La Antigua
Very few of the buildings in Antigua have original plans. This 1763 plan (first floor) was found at the Archives of the Indies in Seville, Spain. The description is fascinating but may have actually been a proposal for the approval of the building permit by Luis Diez de Navarro, a Spanish engineer who was in charge of the new structure which was completed in 1764.
What is your favorite fiesta this month?
The celebration of La Concepción in Ciudad Vieja, near La Antigua Guatemala, is incredible! Everyone enjoys beginning the Christmas cycle by “burning the devil” on Dec. 7. Many will gather at La Concepción in Antigua at 6 p.m. to burn an effigy of the devil enhanced with a sign notating local gossip. After the reading [...]
Who is La Llorona?
While I am more familiar with La Antigua Guatemala’s “regular” ghosts, spirits and “orbs” (you can see the latter if you take digital camera photos in the crypt at the cathedral), anyone who grew up in Antigua can recite the stories of the folkloric figures. These include La Tatuana, El Sombrerón and everyone’s favorite: La [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Who was St. James?
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 [...]
Fiesta Dates in La Antigua’s Aldeas
La 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.
What is the municipality building at the east entrance to La Antigua?
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 [...]
What is the procession on April 25?
Trying to keep up with La Antigua’s processions can be a job in itself. Some are celebrated every year … but then there is the occasional “anniversary” procession that may seem to come out of the blue! One procession we can count on is Santo Hermano Pedro Day on Sunday, April 25. Hermano Pedro is [...]
What about recycling in Antigua?
Visitors to La Antigua Guatemala are quite happy to see that many of the municipal trucks run on bio-diesel. Discarded cooking oil is collected at restaurants, filtered through technology set up in conjunction with Bio Persa www.biopersa.com (supported by the Swiss government), and we all benefit in Antigua. Then the inevitable question, “What about recycling [...]
How is Valentine’s Day celebrated in Guatemala?
Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) is celebrated by many people throughout the world. In English-speaking countries, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other with Valentine’s Day cards (winged cupids are among the favorites), flowers and special dinners. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800s. The history of St. Valentine—its patron [...]
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