March 12-14—WORKSHOPS: Beginner Hieroglyph (English & Spanish); Advanced Hieroglyph (English); Narrative Structures of Mayan Texts (English)

March 15—SYMPOSIUM: The 2012 Maya Meetings in La Antigua Guatemala will be the first international conference devoted to the topic of ancient Mayan literature. For additional information and updates: www.utmesoamerica.org/maya/; Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Austin-TX/The-Maya-Meetings/128001023897735?

Third Annual CasaSito’s Art Festival

written by Maritza Ortiz

CasaSito will host its Third Arts Festival on December 3 at La Cooperación Española in La Antigua Guatemala. Over 100 Guatemalan children and youth will enchant locals and visitors with their artistic talents. The festival will delight everyone with a wonderful art exhibition, music shows, and theater and dance performances.

The art exhibition begins at 10 a.m. and will showcase works of art by children from local educational centers including Educarte, El Plan Infinito, Los Patojos, LAVOSI, Semilla de Esperanza y Amor y Brillo de Sol. You will be impressed by the talents of these children and will rejoice in sharing in their emotions, ideas and dreams. The best artwork in the various categories will receive prizes.

Beginning at 2 p.m., the festivities will really get going with a variety show featuring music, dancing and theatre. In addition, throughout the afternoon, visitors will have the opportunity to participate in interactive activities that offer them the chance to not only appreciate art but also to create it. The event is free and open to the public, so bring your family and friends!

For more information, contact Paulo Monteiro at paulo@casasito.org or 5045-9097. For general information about CasaSito, visit the website: www.casasito.org

Third Annual CasaSito’s Art Festival.

by Maritza Ortiz.

CasaSito will host its Third Arts Festival on December 3 at La Cooperación Española in La Antigua Guatemala. Over 100 Guatemalan children and youth will enchant locals and visitors with their artistic talents. The festival will delight everyone with a wonderful art exhibition, music shows, and theater and dance performances.

The art exhibition begins at 10 a.m. and will showcase works of art by children from local educational centers including Educarte, El Plan Infinito, Los Patojos, LAVOSI, Semilla de Esperanza y Amor y Brillo de Sol. You will be impressed by the talents of these children and will rejoice in sharing in their emotions, ideas and dreams. The best artwork in the various categories will receive prizes.

Beginning at 2 p.m., the festivities will really get going with a variety show featuring music, dancing and theatre. In addition, throughout the afternoon, visitors will have the opportunity to participate in interactive activities that offer them the chance to not only appreciate art but also to create it. The event is free and open to the public, so bring your family and friends!

For more information, contact Paulo Monteiro at paulo@casasito.org or 5045-9097. For general information about CasaSito, visit the website: www.casasito.org

The magnificent Casa Quinta Boutique Hotel in La Antigua Guatemala (5a avenida sur #45) recently hosted its official inauguration with an evening press conference that included Walter Fischer, regional director of INGUAT (Instituto Guatemalteco de Turismo); Ana Lucía Fernández, representing Conde Naste Johansens for the Americas, the Pacific and Caribbean; and Licenciado Luis Méndez, who highlighted the services, comfort and exclusivity provided by Casa Quinta. As well, highly-regarded architect Franklin Contreras, designer and creator of Casa Quinta, shared a historical overview of the hotel.

The guests were given a guided tour, moving from one spectacular suite to the next (eight in all), which have been lovingly designed with authentic Spanish-colonial ambiance, grace and elegance in mind. Breathtaking common areas include furnished corridors, a spacious living room and several dining areas with which to enjoy breakfast, including a roof-top terrace.
For more information visit www.hotelcasaquinta.com *Casa Quinta is recommended by Condé Nast Johansens (2012)

Last night was the inauguration of XIAN’s new showroom of exquisite home furnishings and antiques from China, Tibet, Mongolia and India. With one established location in Guatemala City, owner Norma Rodas has remodeled and created a beautiful second showroom 3 blocks from the main park in Antigua (4a calle oriente #23). This is a wonderful new addition to the already great shopping venue of Antigua.

The production, now in its eighth year, will feature U.S. soloists J.J. Hobbs, Liz Cass, Sam Lowry and, making his Guatemala debut, baritone Phillip Hill from Austin, Texas. Trumpeter Randy Sonntag from Jupiter, Florida, will return to perform in the concert as well. They will be accompanied by the 100-member volunteer chorus and members of the Guatemalan Symphonic Orchestra, under the direction of Maya School Music Director Debby Lyttle.

The Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah dominates the first half of the concert, while the second half features Christmas music that has become a staple in the celebration of the season for hundreds of music lovers in Guatemala City and in La Antigua Guatemala.

As always, proceeds from the two performances will go to charities benefiting children through education. This year, Fundamex, a group of Mexican companies operating in Guatemala, will be the main sponsor of the event, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Benito Juárez School in Guatemala City’s Zone 2. The Comité de Becas Mary Sue will also receive a portion of the proceeds, which will benefit a school in Chichicastenango. Principal sponsors include Coca-Cola, Cervecería Centroamericana, the U.S. Embassy, Atitlán Producciones and IGA.

Messiah performances will take place on November 29 in the Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias in Guatemala City and November 30 in Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua. An added feature this year in Antigua will be the addition of risers in the general section of the chapel.
Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m.

Seating in Antigua Q300 and Q200; Guatemala City, Q250, Q100 and Q60.
Tickets will be available at Joyería del Ángel, Casa Santo Domingo and the box office the night of the performance in Antigua and through TodoTicket and the theater box office the night of the performance in Guatemala City.

Limited to just 150 patrons, the cruise departs Panajachel, with a troubadour aboard, at 11:30 a.m., bound for Santiago Atitlán and La Posada de Santiago for its American-style barbecue and a concert by New Orleans blues piano player and singer Nelson Lunding, followed by Marco Trío Eléctrico.

Afterward, participants will enjoy a typical Guatemalan gourmet lunch at Turicentro Tiosh Abaj where Blues Rocket will play New Orleans-style music.

The boat then heads to Hotel Bambú for an early supper featuring Mediterranean cuisine with Mambo Balam performing modern instrumental jazz, followed by the Imox Jazz Quartet playing traditional jazz, bossa nova and more. The cruise heads back to Panajachel at approximately 8 p.m.

Tickets are Q150 per person and includes boat transportation, meals and musical entertainment (Q125 if you have your own transportation). The event is organized by Festival Atitlán.

There are only 150 tickets available, which can be purchased online at www.festivalatitlan.com/cruise/cruiseeng.html. Tickets are also available in Santiago Atitlán at the participating hotels (offering accommodation packages as well).

Harris Whitbeck

Guatemalan journalist Harris Whitbeck has been nominated for an International Emmy award for his production La Expedicion, Mas Alla de lo Imposible (The Expedition, Beyond the Impossible), which was broadcast last year on Televisa and produced for Fundacion Teleton.

Competing in the field of reality programs, La Expedicion tells the story of 11 people with disabilities who undertake an expedition to Veracruz to face their physical challenges and test their capabilities–on their own and through teamwork.

“I am very proud of this nomination,” Whitbeck said. “La Expedicion was the first production we made at Zodiak Latino for Televisa. Having been nominated for an Emmy is a very valuable acknowledgement to me and my colleagues in this industry and to our work. I am very proud and thankful.”

Whitbeck founded Zodiak Latino in 2009 within the Zodiak Media Group, whose partners include singer Ricky Martin. Last year the group produced the Pepsi Music Challenge in Guatemala for Channel 3 and is in negotiation to do a second season. A former CNN bureau chief in Mexico City, Whitbeck directs and conducts the TV show Entremosle a Guate on channel 3, with Guatemalan director Ana Carlos.

written by Val Liveoak

An international gathering of facilitators for the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) will be held Oct. 2-8 in La Antigua Guatemala at Posada Belen. Approximately 100 attendees from 20 countries are expected, and the gathering will be fully bilingual (English and Spanish).

AVP began in 1975 in New York’s Green Haven prison, where inmates requested the assistance of Quakers (members of the Religious Society of Friends) in developing workshops to help them decrease prison violence. AVP developed as a series of experiential three-day workshops that are now offered in over 50 countries, in prisons, churches, schools, community groups, etc. Active in Guatemala since 2003, AVP is expanding its reach through partnerships with NGOs and other groups that want to promote peaceful resolution of conflict and improved human relationships.

There are around 15 Guatemalan facilitators and a coordinator, Saskia Schuitemaker, who is an international volunteer living in Antigua. An international NGO, Friends Peace Teams, supports much of the AVP work in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia in addition to Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Congo. AVP’s African counterparts have developed workshops to reconcile communities after violence, and this program of community-based trauma healing has been translated and adapted to Latin America, starting in Colombia. Last year these workshops began in Central America.

“All that we learned, I can apply in my home because I have a very difficult living situation. But thanks to this workshop, I learned that things can be solved without violence, and with love,” said an AVP participant from San Lucas, Toliman, Guatemala.

The general public may attend the afternoon and evening sessions on Oct. 5. There will be a poster session/project fair (where AVP groups will be available to talk to individuals about the work in their countries) followed by a program for visitors that will include an international panel of speakers. In the evening there will be a panel, “Transforming Our Communities,” on peacemaking work with displaced people, civilian resistance and preventing violence related to elections.

There will also be an AVP presentation at 5 p.m. Oct. 4 at Rainbow Café in Antigua.

To attend the Oct. 5th public sessions, contact Val Liveoak at 4650-6800 or Saskia Schuitemaker at 4086-5314. RSVP is required by Oct. 3. For more information visit www.avpinternational.org.

Sundays, 7, 14, 21 & 28, 11am & 4pm — (Spanish) THEATER FOR KIDS: ImaginaMar, the new musical adventure for the whole family written by John Tartaglia, chronicles the underwater adventures of three fish friends who discover a treasure map. The Spanish version is produced by Fundacion Paiz and presented as part of the XI Festival Internacional de Cultura Paiz. For more information visit www.fundacionpaiz.org.gty Tickets Q60 at todoticket.com or at the door. Museo de Los Niños (tel: 2464-4545 ext. 4552), 5a calle 10-0, z. 13, Guatemala City.

Like thousands of his New Orleans neighbors, blues piano player and singer Nelson Lunding was uprooted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“There was eight feet of water in the street, three feet of water in the house, cars were underwater…my neighborhood didn’t exist,” Lunding recalls. “People became insane, angry, heartbroken—including myself.”

After more than a decade of performing in New Orleans with some off seasons in San Francisco, Lunding watched helplessly as the remnants of his life “turned to cheese” amid mold and mud.

With nothing to lose, Lunding accepted an invitation from a Mexican guitarist-friend to perform in beachfront Playa del Carmen, just south of Cancún.

“I came down and realized I could travel and make my way as a musician. I used the Yucatán as a springboard to get down here,” says Lunding, 38, who started on the piano at age 6 in his hometown of Yonkers, N.Y.

By 2009, Lunding was playing a circuit that included Playa del Carmen, Oaxaca and Lake Atitlán, which led to La Antigua and introductions to John, of Café No Sé, and Bruce, of Mesón Panza Verde. “They really opened doors for me and put me to work.”

Lunding is now a fixture at La Cueva de Panza Verde, Café No Se, Ocelot and Reilly’s 2000, with occasional gigs elsewhere. He has a CD of his piano music recorded live on an 1890s Steinway piano.

In the case of this musical talent, New Orleans’ loss is Antigua’s gain. “I’ve been here 15 months, and I like it,” Lunding says.

Contestants from the 2010 Rabin Ajau pageant in Cobán. (photo: Thor Janson)

In 1936 Cobán prospered greatly from coffee exports to Europe. A group of leading businessmen decided that it was time to organize a regional fair, and so the inaugural “Feria Departamental” was planned for the first week in August.

As part of the event it was decided to elect two queens, one representing the European population and the other chosen from among the indigenous Maya. The first Ladino queen was given the title “Flor de Café”—Coffee Flower—and the winner was Florence Hempsted Disseldorff, the daughter of a prominent coffee baron. The indigenous title “India Bonita Cobanera”—Beautiful Cobán Indian Girl—was bestowed upon a young lass by the name of Armenia Macz.

Forty years later, with the idea of enlarging the indigenous event and to include candidates from all over the county, it evolved into what we have today: the Rabin Ajau, Guatemala’s National Folkloric Festival.

My friend and host when I am in Alta Verapaz is José Sierra, secretary of communications for Cobán. He extends a warm welcome to one and all who wish to attend this year’s pageant, which will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at the INJUD Sports Complex gym in Cobán.

Mr. Sierra also encourages guests to enjoy all the other features of the annual Cobán Festival during the first week of August, as well as paying a visit to one or more of the natural wonders of Alta Verapaz, such as Lanquín Cave and the world-renowned Semuc Champey Nature Reserve.

Presentations at last year’s food festival

2nd Annual Sacatepéquez Festival Gastronómico

Culinary fiends beware! Prepare your taste buds and tummy for a feasting, as July 17 is La Antigua Guatemala’s annual Festival Gastronómico in celebration of its patron saint, Santiago Apóstol (St. James the Apostle).

The event, which runs from 10:30 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m., takes place at The Cultural Center César Brañas on 5a calle with some 85 food stands serving a variety of regional cuisine.

From mole to chinchivir, the festival aims to promote the region’s local dishes and revive some of its oldest recipes.

As well as tasty platters available from families and individual cooks in Antigua and surrounding villages, local school-children will also be cooking some of their favorite meals.

With prizes for the best dishes judged by professional chefs, the competition is set to be sizzling.

The food selling and sampling will be accompanied by marimba music, and whether you want to get involved in the cooking side or just the tasting side, admission to the event is free.

El Festival Gastronómico is supported by La Muni de Antigua, CAT, INGUAT and INTECAP and will take place alongside the city’s half marathon, Carrera de la Rosas.

For more information please contact Johana de Contreras at 5327-4761 or email: catsacatepequez@yahoo.com

“Water, Rivers and People / Agua, Ríos y Pueblos,” is an international traveling photographic exhibit that takes a critical look at water conflicts around the world. The exhibit focuses on the human and environmental costs of contamination and catastrophes, ecosystem degradation, water as a human right, privatization and mega-development projects such as hydroelectric dams and open pit mining. The exhibit is divided into 30 case studies selected from five continents, organized into seven themes. One thematic area is dedicated to local case studies in Guatemala, developed in conjunction with civil society organizations and local communities.

We live on the Blue Planet, the Water Planet. Yet according to the UN, 1.1 billion people lack access to decent drinking water. Because of this (and the related, though even more widespread, lack of decent sanitation), some 20,000 people die every day, most of them children. In reality, we are facing a crisis of unsustainability, which we have caused by taking too much water from the environment, systematically polluting our rivers and aquifers.

The World Commission on Dams estimated that between 40 and 80 million people have been evicted from their homes and villages to make way for one of the more than 50,000 large dams that were constructed during the 20th century. “Between 40 and 80 million” . . . in other words, no one knows the exact number.

The pressure for privatization from agencies like the World Bank has transformed citizens into customers, ignoring the fact that access to drinking water should be guaranteed and a human right. In sum, we are facing a hydrological holocaust, in which the victims are invisible, distant and faceless. Our consciences easily forget them.

In the Water, Rivers and People exhibition, we decided to give a voice to these people, who are simultaneously both victims and protagonists for a more just, dignified, and sustainable world. We aim to show the human side of water conflicts, giving those who suffer and struggle the most the opportunity to express themselves. Perhaps they do not have all the answers to these problems, but there is no doubt that they are suffering on the front lines. They deserve to be heard and their stories taken into consideration.

The national case studies that we have on hand and will be developing include the following: Extractive Industries and Contamination in Laguna del Tigre; Laguna Chicabal: Community Management of Sacred Water; Water and Gender in San Miguel Ixtahuacán; Cleaning up Lake Atitilán; Community Consultations and ILO 169 in Guatemala; Agatha and Climate Change in Guatemala; Water Management in the 48 cantones of Totonicapán; Monocrops and Water in Guatemala: African Palm and Sugar Cane; Mini Hydroelectrics in Guatemala.

article photos by Heidi McKinnon

For more information: www.aguariosypueblos.org or contact arpguatemala@yahoo.com

This area is generally considered to be the site where the famous Maya-K’iche’ prince, Tecún Umán, died in battle against Pedro de Alvarado in 1524.

The annual festival features costumed dancers, the traditional dance of the bull, coronation of La Reina Indígena, solemn processions and popular entertainment, as well as an array of food and drinks. Key dates are June 23-24.

To book rooms, arrange tours or for more information, call Adrenalina Tours at 7932-5858 or email info@adrenalinatours.com

Join WINGS in celebrating a decade of impressive achievements in the field of reproductive health and a continued commitment to improving the lives of Guatemalan families on Thursday, March 17, from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at Mesón Panza Verde in La Antigua.

Founded a decade ago by retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer Sue Patterson, WINGS has gone from an initial operating budget of $4,000 to over $1 million in 2011 and now serves over 30,000 people annually in 7 departments throughout Guatemala.

The organization provides reproductive health education for women, men and adolescents; subsidies for short- and long-term family planning methods; cervical cancer screening and treatment; advocacy training for better public health service provision; and capacity-building for other organizations.

With the theme “It All Begins With Family Planning…,” the 10th anniversary kickoff event will feature a special screening at 6:45 p.m. of WINGS’ new short film about family planning. Photos showcasing scenes from WINGS’ work in Guatemala will also be for sale. Ms. Patterson, a resident of La Antigua whose diplomatic career spanned the globe, will be in attendance.

Admission of Q50 includes a complimentary drink and hors d’oeuvres, with all proceeds benefiting WINGS. The event is being generously hosted by Mesón Panza Verde, 5a av. sur #19, La Antigua.

For more information, email info@wingsguate.org or call 7832-5130.

With proceeds benefitting the child-serving NGO CasaSito, the event includes eight chefs from Antigua restaurants and two from Guatemala City.

In addition to fundraising for a good cause, Noche de los Chefs also helps promote the area as a world-class culinary destination. Presented by Degustantigua in cooperation with Hotel Soleil Antigua, it also promises to become the culinary event of the year, based on last year’s inaugural success.

Tickets at Q300 each include a complimentary welcome drink and the gala 10-course meal, served in the romantic beauty of one of Antigua’s most historic sites. Music will follow dinner on the terrace; a cash bar will also be available.

Only 200 tickets will be sold; available at Hotel Soleil Antigua and Revue Magazine.

The participating restaurants are:

Hotel Soleil, Caffé Opera, Casa Santo Domingo, El Sereno, 709, Café Condesa, Las Conchas and Kaffee Fernando’s in La Antigua; and Inka Grill and Primo de Roma in Guatemala City.
Sponsors include Hotel Soleil Antigua, La Copia Fiel, Revue Magazine, Marcas Mundiales, S.A., AntiguaFM 91.3 and El Mástil.

For more information visit www.degustantigua.com

March 8

The second annual Antigua Masquerade Ball, a colorful, Venetian-style charity event, is coming to the ruins of San José El Viejo on Fat Tuesday, March 8.

In addition to costume contests, the ball will feature dining, cocktails, music and raffles. There will also be an auction of four unique pieces of art, which the artists will “speed paint” in only 90 minutes.

Event proceeds will support an array of children’s charities, according to event organizer Lyne Bissonnette.

Doors will open at 6 p.m., although participants are invited to gather at La Merced church at 5 p.m. to parade down Fifth Avenue to the venue.

Only 150 tickets (Q500 each) will be sold. The price includes two drinks, food, entertainment and setup. Music and dancing continue until 11 p.m.

Participating NGOs are selling tickets;
for more details visit www.antiguavenetianball.com

The 11th annual Paiz International Festival of Art and Culture—a nearly year-long series of music, dance and art—opens in spectacular fashion on Friday, Feb. 11, when two legendary groups perform together for the first time in more than a decade.

The Guatemalan rock group Alux Nahual and Éditus, the Grammy-winning jazz group from Costa Rica, will reunite in a not-to-be-missed concert at 8 p.m. at Ermita de Santa Cruz in La Antigua.

According to Alux Nahual drummer Lenin Fernandez, the previous joint concert, also in Antigua, was a risky experiment since the groups hadn’t played together before—they didn’t even rehearse.

“The idea was to jam,” Fernandez recalled. “It was a fantastic, magical event. We achieved a great fusion. Appearing with them was a complete success as far as the audience was concerned. We haven’t repeated it since.

“We want to achieve what we did the last time, where the audience feels that they are witnessing a jam session—some improvisation, not too studied—which features the musicians’ artistry. And especially with these three from Éditus, who have had an amazing career, winning two Latin Grammy’s. Jamming is definitely where we want to go,” Fernandez said.

With the festival’s emphasis on promoting music and arts in youth, Alux Nahual and Éditus are also conducting music workshops for young music students Feb. 8-10 at El Sitio in Antigua. (For more information on the workshops call 2485-9929.)

Festival events continue at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, with the opening of a retrospective of artist Carlos Mérida (1891-1984) at Casa Santo Domingo in the Galería Quiroa. 

At 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, Ermita de Santa Cruz will be rocked by power pianist Jorge Gomez and his Grammy-nominated Cuban timba group, Tiempo Libre, accompanied by La Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil.

The following weekend, Feb. 19-20, the hilarious international sensation Les Ballet Trockaderos de Montecarlo will perform at 8 p.m. at La Ermita de la Santa Cruz. The festival’s opening month wraps up Feb. 26-27 with Ballet Hispánico, also at La Ermita de la Santa Cruz.

And this is just the first month of the annual Paiz International Festival of Art and Culture—events continue every month throughout the year!

Tickets to all performances are on sale at TodoTicket.com. For more information about Fundación Paiz, visit www.fundacionpaiz.org.gt

February 3-6

The Guatemala Orchid Association presents the XXXVII National Orchid Exposition, featuring a colorful array of orchids and informative workshops, from Feb. 3-6 in Guatemala City.

The event will be at Cervecería Centroamericana, Salón José Mariano Arzú Castillo, 3 ave. 17-16, z. 2. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is Q25.

Guatemala, the Land of Eternal Spring, has approximately 1,000 species of orchids, which grow throughout the country, from the coasts up into the highlands.

In 1934, the rare and most treasured White Nun, the Monja Blanca, was declared the national flower of Guatemala.

Related conferences will be held Feb. 3-4 on different types of orchids by experts from the American Orchid Society, the Mexican Orchid Association and an author from Argentina. The sessions will be at the Hotel Vista Real, Prolongacion Blvd. Los Próceres, km 9, z. 15. Admission is Q100.

For more information call 4509-3929.

A chronicle of conquest

written by Ana Lucía Ortiz & Pierina Piedra Santa

Its size is as great as its content is complex. The Lienzo de Quauhquechollan reveals to the viewer amazing feats of both the winners and losers in the conquest of Guatemala. This masterfully created canvas records many valuable details of an important event. Painted with natural pigments on cotton fabric around the year 1530, this critical artifact is considered to be the first map of the area. Graphically using footprints, hoofprints and glyphs, it shows the constant battle scenes of a cruel journey through the region that would later be called Quauhtemallan.

Decrypting the canvas was a complex and painstaking project, requiring many years of research. Heading the project was Dutch anthropologist Florine Asselbergs, and it was determined that it was not Pedro de Alvarado who single-handedly conquered the region as was previously believed, but by various conquerers (including his brother Jorge) during different stages along with many local allies.

The canvas is made up of 15 smaller pieces and measures 3.25 by 2.48 meters. It is estimated that it’s missing a third of its total size, cut from the right side. It’s also believed that this piece would tell of the conquest of eastern Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

These were painted stories told by respected community story-tellers. The can-vas squares were place on the ground and “read” to groups of listeners.

The Quauhquecholteca only describe their successes, not their failures. The intention of the canvas is believed to have served as evidence to the Spanish crown to validate their request for the reward they were promised for their part in the conquest.

The University Francisco Marroquin, with the support of Banco G&T Continental, through its program Exploraciones sobre la Historia, has mounted a special exhibition of the Quauhquechollan canvas. The audience has the opportunity to meet with the past through technology. The original canvas was scanned and a group of specialists recreated it in all its clarity and color so that it appears as it must have looked in the 16th century. In addition, a visual narrative accompanies the exhibit in an entertaining and educational manner.

Exhibition information

Guatemala City:
Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-1pm. Centro Cultural de la Universidad Francisco Marroquin.

Entrance Q30 / Q20 students & children. More info: www.lienzo.ufm.edu or call 2338-7959.

Quetzaltenango:
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm (until April 29) Centro Cultural de la Casa No’j, 7a calle 12-12, z. 1.

Entrance free, full color catalog on sale for Q325. More info: call Licda. Claudia Mazariegos at 7768-3139.

For the Love of Art & Education

2011 may turn out to be the year for culture in Guatemala. The 11th biennial Paiz International Festival includes an unprecedented inaugural concert with Central American superstars, Grammy nominees performing with a beloved student orchestra, a major retrospective of an artistic giant and a fun, popular dance in La Antigua’s own Parque Central.  

The 2011 festival promises not only an exciting lineup of Guatemalan and international artists, but also a dramatic expansion of the festival itself. Antiguenos and tourists will enjoy an amazing season of events beginning in February and continuing through December.

The festival opens Feb. 11 with impressive concerts. Reuniting after a 10-year absence, the legendary Central American groups Alux Nahual and Éditus will kick off a colorful season filled with art, music and dance. 

The next day brings the opening of a retrospective of artist Carlos Mérida at Casa Santo Domingo in the Galería Carlos Mérida. Saturday evening, Ermita de Santa Cruz will be rocked by power pianist Jorge Gomez and his Grammy-nominated Cuban timba group, Tiempo Libre, accompanied by La Orquesta Sinfonica Juvenil.

The artists not only perform but will also lead workshops, discussions and classes for Guatemalan students and artists. The Fundación Paiz has focused this festival on its essential objective: to harness the transformative power of art and culture for a better Guatemala.

www.fundacionpaiz.org.gt

We believe that theater is a path which opens us to reflection of one of the issues we consider most important: the origin of the communities and the people living on them. In other words, assume the identity from all its wealth, recognizing the value of the different cultures that make it up.

The program goal is to give the necessary tools so that the communities can come up with theater plays in their own language and about their own needs and origins. The program has formed a community theater group and at the same time has developed a training program for teachers in public schools at Santa María de Jesús.

Pre release: November 26, 6:30pm — Fundación Hunaphu, Santa María de Jesús November 27, 6pm — Centro de Formación de La Cooperación Española, La Antigua Guatamala.

Proceeds from this year’s performance will benefit Comité de Becas Mary Sue, which provides scholarships to needy children in the Chichicastenango area.

Performing this year will be J.J. Hobbs, soprano; Carlos Cardona, baritone; Sam Lowry, tenor; and Liz Cass, mezzosoprano.

An addition to this year’s program will be The Trumpet Shall Sound with trumpeter Randy Sonntag of Jupiter, Florida.

Tickets will be available on Nov. 1 and prices will be Q200 for plateau and Q60 for balcony at the National Theatre; Q300 for preferential and Q200 for general at Casa Santo Domingo.

Tickets can be purchased in Guatemala City at Geminis bookstore, Zurich’s Chocolatería, Sophos Bookstore, IGA and the National Theatre; in Antigua tickets can be purchased at Joyería del Ángel and Casa Santo Domingo.

45 children receive their scholarship onstage

Mary Sue Morris, born in Amarillo, Texas, came to La Antigua in 1981 to learn Spanish. She fell in love with the country and in 1993 she came back, purchased some land and built the impeccably appointed Posada del Angel and the Joyería del Angel, both very successful businesses in Antigua.

When she became very ill she chose a group of friends to make up the board of directors of what had been her dream—a scholarship program for very poor children in rural Guatemala. She knew this group of friends would make good use of the funds and would work as volunteers.

Mary Sue

The committee chose a school in Chichi-castenango where the 45 scholarship recipients, pre-school through first-year básico, could attend school and receive an education. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition, books and uniforms.

The committee does follow-up visits by traveling to Chichi to get to know and encourage the children with their studies. Since many of the parents had no schooling, the children don’t receive much guidance or understand the value of an education. The committee meets with the children, teachers, supervisors and parents to promote the program.

It has also provided an internet connection for the school, allowing web access for 19 new Dell computers that were donated by another entity.

After committee members heard many of the students shouting, “We want to learn English!” when they were visiting the school, they found a local English teacher to give lessons.

The Psychology Department of the Univers-idad del Valle de Guatemala has been working with the committee to help motivate the children, and more importantly to give them tools to learn problem-solving skills, as well as guidelines to eliminate bullying. Del Valle also works with the teachers and parents, who are delighted with this attention.

To help pay for continued assistance from del Valle, proceeds from the annual performances of Handel’s Messiah will be donated to the program. Performances will be Nov. 30 at the National Theatre in Guatemala City and on Dec. 1 at Casa Santo Domingo in La Antigua. Both performances will begin at 7:30 p.m.

For more information contact Agnes Arathoon de Molina at agnesmolina@gmail.com or Irene de Grinnell at grinnell.irene@gmail.com

“No! No! No! They cannot be allowed to enjoy themselves. They must be stopped.”

Get ready to come and see if he will succeed or if, wonder of wonders, maybe Christmas will steal HIM!

You know there’s a sad and sorry family of grinches out there. They come in all different colors—not just green. They are persons united only by their insecurity and the pleasure they get trying to infect others. The quality of “grinchiness” knows no limitations of age, sex, color or preference in popsicles. You can find them everywhere. You recognize them by their cynicism, insensitivity, selfishness and mean-spiritedness. The most dangerous are the ones who don’t realize the effect they have on others. Watch out! There’s probably one quite close right now!

This year we have an international cast to emphasize the international theme of the Grinch. Some 25 dancers, lots of helpers, the host and hostess, Max the dog, Masha the poodle and the narrator are all Chapines. The Grinch is a panza verde!

The production manager is Paloma Pérez-Templado from Spain; the artistic director is Mercedes Blanco from Cuba; Bette van Lunteren, the choreographer, is Dutch; Deborah DuFlon, in charge of theatrical design and costumes, is U.S-Guatemalan; Johnny Long, the producer is U.S.-U.K.; and the one who distorted the portraits so Whoville-like is Annette Weld, from England.

This just goes to show that without grinchiness, everyone can get along just fine!

See DateBook for performance schedules. Information tel: 7832-1884

Weekend festival aims to preserve a natural treasure

With a goal of protecting the endangered sea turtle, an environmental group is planning a weekend festival Nov. 26-28 with events centered around the Monterrico-Hawaii Natural Preserve on Guatemala’s Pacific coast.

Coinciding with peak turtle-nesting season, the Festival de la Tortuga 2010 (Turtle Festival 2010) will feature turtle releases, nature tours, concerts, arts and crafts, a horse show, sporting events, fun activities for children and much more.

There will also be an exhibition of images from the Guatemala Photo Club on Nov. 6-7, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at El Sitio in La Antigua.

The events, as well as a long-term campaign to protect sea turtles, are being organized by the Fundación Eterna Primavera (Eternal Spring Foundation).

Foundation Director Thomas Stutzer said festival organizers hope villagers who have turtle eggs will come to the Nov. 26-28 event and sell them to the environmental group. Stutzer said 80 percent of sea turtle eggs are stolen from Guatemala’s beaches and sold for consumption.

More information: www.festivaldelatortuga.info or to book lodging for the festival see www.visitmonterrico.com

The main objectives are to promote the region as a tourism multi-destination—a highly competitive market in the international tourism industry—and to achieve an increase in the number of international tourists that visit Central America. More visitors to the region will generate benefits such as job creation, increased revenue, and local development in Central America.

CATM 2010 will take place in La Antigua Guatemala, one of the most important tourism destinations of the Central American region. According to CATM, La Antigua is “One of the most emblematic cities of the world. It’s historic inheritance will be the principal seat for this touristic and professional encounter of the Central American region.” The fair will be held at Hotel Casa Santo Domingo. For more information and complete calendar, visit www.catmcentralamerica.com Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, 3a calle oriente #28, La Antigua.

Grupo Sol Latino playing at La Antigua Guatemala's Central Park (photo by Pinar Istek)

text and photos by Pinar Istek

Grupo Sol Latino instruments (photo by Pinar Istek)

Surrounded by an appreciative crowd, a group of musicians known as Grupo Sol Latino, were playing Andean music, which originated in the Incan Empire before the European conquest.

Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela are among this music’s native countries. Some of the traditional instruments are the charango, a 10-stringed instrument, which looks like a tiny guitar; the siku, in different sizes, made from bamboo shoots; the antara, made from a type of cane; and the quena.

You can hear Grupo Sol Latino Wednesday through Sunday from 7 to 10 p.m. at La Peña de Sol Latino Restaurant & Bar in Antigua, located on 5a calle poniente #15-C.

Celebrate the vision of young Guatemalans with the photographs taken during Project Einstein. For six weeks of intensive training in Zona Reyna Quiché, more than 70 young Maya-Q’eqchi’s learned photography, video, reporting and journalism to tell stories of their community. All photos were taken by the young people. Funds from the sale of the photographs will be donated to the Institute of Basic Education Lancetillo (IMEBCE). Exhibition is open until Sept. 17. Iglesia Santa Clara, 2a av. norte, La Antigua. You can also visit http://lancetillo.hablaguate.com/