Category: Editorial
Traditions: Posadas and Nacimientos
The nacimiento is still the star of the show in Guatemala. What is now the most important celebration of the year came to the Americas with the Spanish Christian evangelists. The Guatemalans, already an innately spiritual people closely in tune with nature and in whom creativity thrives, had no trouble adapting to the new religious [...]
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, [...]
Elizabeth Bell receives the gold “Orden Diego de Porres” Award
Dec. 2, 2011 – Elizabeth Bell was honored in a lovely ceremony last night at Capuchinas where she received the highest award given by the Consejo. The gold Orden Diego de Porres was awarded to her for “her untiring work over many years in allowing people to know La Antigua Guatemala through her multiple books [...]
Carrera de Las Charolas
Today waiters and waitress from many restaurants ran with trays in hand in the 10th annual Carrera de Las Charolas (Race of the Trays) at the central park in La Antigua (photos by Luis Toribio)
Antigua International School
Teaching kids how to think, not what to think As the founding director of a new, international school in La Antigua Guatemala, longtime educator Jim Pastore is confident that the 21st century curriculum will launch kids on a lifetime of learning that will prepare them for the jobs of the future, those that may not [...]
Xela feria has scope like none other in Guatemala
Xela’s annual feria came to a close the weekend of Sept. 17-18, and it was everything Guatemala has come to expect from the nation’s premiere Independence Day celebration. Everything offered won’t be new to a traveler who’s at least trolled the occasional market: fruit and knick-knacks, dance troupes and shows, and carnival rides that may [...]
Civic fair draws a crowd in La Antigua
Musicians, artists, NGOs and community groups were among participants in Libre al Viento, a festival of civic and cultural activities that was held Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Palace of the Captains General in La Antigua Guatemala. Antigüeños and tourists alike streamed through the palace throughout the day to enjoy the activities and displays, which [...]
Paseo de La Sexta, Zone 1
Restoration brings new life to an old district Last year, the municipality of Guatemala City undertook a project to conserve and revitalize the city’s heritage, and it started with La Sexta Avenida, Zone 1: the backbone of el centro histórico. Historically, La Sexta was the fashion capital of Guatemala—the place to see and be seen—with [...]
WINGS celebrates 10 years of serving families
Serving over 30,000 people in seven departments, WINGS recently celebrated over a decade of achievements in the fields of family planning, reproductive health and improving the lives of Guatemalan families. With the theme “It All Begins With Family Planning …,” WINGS’ 10th anniversary launch party in March brought 150 guests to Mesón Panza Verde in [...]
Gourmet burgers arrive in La Antigua
Gourmet hamburgers have just arrived in La Antigua at the newly opened Lava Terrace Bar and Burgers, at 4ta Ave. Norte #3. The menu features everything from the standard hamburger and bacon-cheeseburger to imaginative concoctions such as the jalapeño popper burger, boomerang burger (sautéed onions, beetroot and fried egg), San Antonio Chili burger, Hawaiian burger [...]
Magic Moments
‘I Do, Guatemala’ creates dream weddings amid Antigua’s romantic settings With volcanic backdrops, a signature arch, cobblestone streets and centuries-old ruins, La Antigua Guatemala couldn’t be more picturesque. Diana Sciarrillo of Guatemala City and colleague Romie Black of Atlanta (USA) want those and other images unique to Guatemala in wedding albums around the world. So [...]
Needy kids win big at Ocelot event
Guests packed Ocelot, the blues and tapas restaurant in La Antigua, for drinks, food and fun to support a good cause on Thursday night, Jan. 20. The fundraiser supported the Education for the Children Foundation, a Britain-based NGO that just opened a modern, new school for up to 510 children in Jocotenango. Several teachers from [...]
With transatlantic support, new school opens in Jocotenango
Built with an outpouring of support from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, a modern new school has just opened for over 500 Guatemalan children, many of whom might not get an education otherwise. Located in Jocotenango, just three kilometers from La Antigua, the spacious Escuela Proyecto La Esperanza has 20 classrooms, a computer lab, [...]
Reilly’s Irish Tavern to open Dec. 22 in new location
Reilly’s, the beloved Irish tavern in La Antigua Guatemala, will open Dec. 22nd in its new home, with a festive anniversary celebration set for the next day, Dec. 23rd. “I’m delighted to say Reilly’s will reopen very soon in what had been Café 2000, with the same food and atmosphere that our friends have enjoyed [...]
Dozens in Florida learn about La Antigua from Elizabeth Bell
Author-historian Elizabeth Bell recently brought the story of La Antigua Guatemala to an audience of more than 50 guests in Coral Gables, Fla., an exclusive community near Miami that has been a Sister City of La Antigua since 1993. A California native who’s lived in Antigua since age 14, Bell was featured Nov. 30th at [...]
Holiday Shopping in Antigua
text and photos by Jennifer Rowe If you are new to Guatemala, on a budget, or just having trouble coming up with unique ideas for gifts this holiday season, do not fret! Here are a few suggestions of what is available to you from some of the merchants in Antigua. If there’s someone on your [...]
Packed house celebrates Rainbow Cafe’s 18th anniversary
Patrons flocked to Rainbow Café – restaurant, bar, book exchange, reading room – for its 18th anniversary celebration Saturday night, Nov. 13. A delight to travelers and locals alike in La Antigua, Rainbow offers some of the best breakfasts in town, along with salads, homemade soups, fresh-fruit smoothies, crunchy salads and desserts to die for. [...]
Wine Connection
“Wine is bottled poetry,” wrote Robert Louis Stevenson. It is the special gift that one brings or the perfect complement to an excellent meal. It’s the extra dash of flavor in a simmering pot of coq au vin or the pot au feu. Whatever the reason or the season, you can find excellent wine selections [...]
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 [...]
Social Experiment
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 [...]
El Pilar
The final article of a three-part series exploring El Pilar—a raw and wild reserve where the proprietors have a vision for developing it into a sustainable resource for valuable research and first-rate birdwatching.
Culture Unshocked: Toys and Play
written by Ana Flinder Not long ago, while perusing the endless tables piled high with used North American clothes at the Saturday paca market in La Antigua, I found a little T-shirt that caught my eye. It was about the right size for a 5 year old, and on it read “I want it— You [...]
Culture Unshocked
Written by Ana Flinder Culture shock is a strange phenomenon which most of us have experienced in one way or another. For those of us who travel outside of our own countries infrequently, arrival in a new and foreign culture can be absolutely overwhelming; every moment is filled with so many new sights and sounds, [...]
Out of the Blue
Written by Terry Kovick Biskovich Dateline: 1987 Northern California Grandpa Jones, 93-year-old tribal medicine man. From the Files of G.W. Sweetwater and B. Yates-Penny “It’s a matter of belief, there’s nothing else. You get what you give out or what you’re afraid of. Did you know that everything out there is a reflection? Let me [...]
The Nahualá Table
Written by Tony Pasinski While textiles form one part of Guatemalan Style, another major element is furniture. And there the Nahualá table is probably king. No home in Guatemala is complete without one. How it got its name is a mystery since in the town of Nahualá, it’s known as a mesa de cocina. The [...]
The True Adventures of Taymor
Written by J.B. “So this is what quicksand feels like,” thought Taymor. He was waist-deep in mud and sinking slowly. With two miles of jungle between him and the resort, yelling for help would waste needed energy. His legs were completely pinned beneath the weight of the slick gray mud, and even with his machete [...]
The Stela and the Wasps
Written by Dennis Wheeler There we were, playing charades with a man who we feared wouldn’t live past sunset. One day, late in 1966—while surveying land the government had granted to our cooperative—instead of returning to base camp on our own trail, we decided to angle off and explore some more of the jungle. Much [...]
¿Cuántos Besitos?
You may be surprised at the dilemma in which I and, I suppose, other males find themselves from time to time. I refer in particular to the different cultural patterns that determine how many kisses a lady should be given on meeting and departure.
The Raw Coffee Quality Pyramid
In the coffee world, there’s a quality pyramid that illustrates the many types and qualities of this popular beverage. The broad base of the pyramid rests on the two main commercial species: arabica and robusta. Arabica is the one that popularized coffee consumption throughout the world, and all fine coffees belong to this species. Robusta [...]
Not Your Traditional Artesanía
Written by Ira Lewis Local craftsmen recruited to build a classic wooden catboat I’ve sailed all my life, and for years I’ve wanted to build a boat. I have the time. OK, so do it. But I’m not a good carpenter, and I don’t have proper tools. I live in La Antigua, where there are [...]
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