Guatemalan Nativity scene (photo by Rudy A. Giron)

Nacimiento Shrine Niche at Capilla de Belén

On the 15th of December the images of Mary and Joseph take to the streets, carried on platforms in small processions called posadas. The faithful follow with torches and candles, singing as they go to the rhythmic beating on turtle shells and high pitches played on clay pipes, both very important to the tradition. The images leave their places in the nacimientos of churches, homes and business establishments to enact the journey of the young couple from Nazareth to Bethlehem to register their citizenship, along with the rest of the population, in the town of their birth. But the young woman is soon to deliver a child, and it’s tough finding lodging for the rest she urgently needs.

There is a ritual of song, as they knock on doors pleading for hospitality, first a verse from the crowd outside, then an answer from those inside the door who tell them to go away. In singsong cruelty, the couple is told, “This is not an inn; move on and don’t bother us. Don’t be a rascal.” Another plea comes from outside, “Don’t be unkind; have a heart. God will reward you.” Again the refusal, “Don’t make me angry. Go.”

At last they come to the place that will shelter the couple for the night, prearranged for the posada, of course. Joseph pleads, “I am a carpenter from Nazareth. My name is Joseph, and my wife is Mary. She will be the mother of the Divine.”

Well, now we’re getting someplace. From the inside, “You are Joseph?! You are Mary?! Come in pilgrims! Come in, not only to our poor house but to our hearts!” It is in fact a great honor for a household to keep the images until the following evening, when they process from that place in the same way as the night before to the next place of lodging. And so it goes every night until December 24, when the images return to their place of origin and where the baby Jesus is placed with them.

Posadas are heard on the streets of cities, towns and villages any night as Christmas approaches and are adaptable to the situation. A fine hotel arranged its own posada, moving the images from place to place within its facilities, and invited guests to participate. One night in 2004 the posada from San Francisco Church in La Antigua fittingly stopped at Casa de Fe, a hospitality house of Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro.

Oh yes, important to the nightly posadas are the refreshments offered at each home where the couple finds shelter. The air is filled with the aroma of Christmas punch, pineapple, coconut, raisins and other dried fruits, remnant of the Moorish culture brought with the Spaniards.

Cultural interchange characterizes Christmas around the world, and Guatemala contributes more than its share with the abundance of colors and fragrances of natural materials to make the season bright.

photos: Nativity Scenes by Rudy A. Girón (cc license)

Autoridades eclestiásticas y civiles, Miembros del Consejo Nacional para la Protección de la Antigua Guatemala, Conservador de La Ciudad, y amigos todos, quiero agradecer su asistencia a la Entrega de la Orden “Diego de Porres” en grado de Gran Venera. Reconozco que esta es la Máxima Condecoración otorgada, lo que me llena de emoción.

Al venir a esta hermosa ciudad en 1969, me sorprendió que realmente hubiera tan poca información de la ciudad al alcance del público en general. Muchos me decían que La Antigua se había construido en 1543 y al destruirse completamente, en 1773, fue abandonada ¡y ya, aquí estamos!

Recuerdo cuando el arquitecto Roberto Ogarrio, nos visitó en el Club Antigüeño en 1969 para explicar un poco sobre la conservación de la ciudad y que estaba por aprobarse la Ley Protectora. Realmente nadie entendía de qué se trataba la conservación de la ciudad colonial. La duda más “alarmante” entre los asistentes, fue cuando alguien preguntó que si era cierto que el Consejo iba a pintar TODA la Antigua de blanco — con lo que iba a parecer cementerio — y que si el Consejo quería ‘”congelar la ciudad y hacerla un Museo Vivo”. El arquitecto Ogarrio, explicó que no iban a pintar nada… Entonces, ¿que iban a hacer? ¿Para qué una ley? ¿Quién iba a creer que la ciudad se iba a convertir en centro turístico si todo estaba en ruinas?

Al haber crecido en Palo Alto, California, entre la creación de música rock y el nacimiento de las computadoras, crecí en un ambiente de inquietudes… de la pregunta: “Por qué, por qué es así”, por lo que a través de los años quise entender más de mi nuevo hogar.

Cuando el Consejo inició sus funciones en 1972, junto a mi esposo, Julio Aceituno, contratado como el Primer Inspector de Monumentos, nos tocó, participar en los primeros trabajos y el retiro de los rótulos y propaganda comercial. Poco a poco empezamos a ver los cambios, incluyendo la limpieza de los monumentos de la ciudad.

En 1978, al redactar la primera edición del libro “Antigua Guatemala”, con Trevor Long, empezamos a ponerle atención a todos los detalles posibles de los monumentos, en compañía de mi amigo y colega, Enrique Barascout. Fue fascinante.

En el mismo año, yo empecé a trabajar en el Consejo. Me recuerdo cuando Betsy Montealegre me entregó sus tarjetas informativas con todas las fechas de la ciudad. Realmente pensé que iba a ser imposible aprendérmelas todas – pues – parecía una obra titánica!! Poco a poco, y con la ayuda de los grandes investigadores y promotores de la conservación de esta ciudad, Luis Lujan, Roberto Aycinena, Margarita Estrada, Alejandro Flores, Donald del Cid, Hugo Cerezo Dardón, Jorge Lujan, Cristina de Lujan, Miguel Álvarez, Celso Lara, William Swezey, Rodolfo Asturias, José María Magaña Juárez y muchos profesionales más……me sentí cómoda al lado de quienes siempre querían saber más de la ciudad y conservarla. ¡Nos unía un profundo amor por esta ciudad!

Como profesora, comprendí la necesidad de enseñar a los niños acerca de la importancia de entender y amar la ciudad y empecé los talleres y recorridos escolares a través de los programas culturales del Consejo, en los que participaron más de 10,000 alumnos al año, pues al final de cuentas, soy Profesora por profesión y por pasión.

A través de mis libros, quise plasmar información que estuviera al alcance de todos, en un lenguaje no-tan-académico para que todos pudiera degustar de la ciudad, como yo lo había aprendido a hacer. Como profesora, también vi la necesidad de llevar esa información a toda la población, no sólo a una elite académica o cultural, sino al alcance de todos.

En 1983, mis estudios en el ICCROM, Roma, pusieron en evidencia que en La Antigua Guatemala se llevaba a cabo una de las mejores restauraciones del mundo, y que el Consejo la había puesto a la par de cualquier ciudad monumental. Adquirir conciencia de eso me dio orgullo y renovó mi interés por seguir trabajando en beneficio de nuestra amada Antigua.

En 1996, tuve la oportunidad de colaborar con el rescate de la obras pictóricas del Museo de Arte Colonial durante siete años, y desde hace otros siete años, en la restauración de las pinturas de San José Catedral a través de colaboraciones económicas obtenidas de varias fuentes, lo mismo que producto de los recorridos culturales que inicié en 1992.

A lo largo de los años, también me ha encantado ser co-fundadora de las Asociaciones que velan por el cuidado de la ciudad, tales como Salvemos Antigua, Asociación Cerro de la Cruz, Fundación Cultural Duane Carter y Asociación Destino Antigua, entre otras. El futuro de la Ciudad está en manos de los vecinos, quienes, ahora, cuentan con mayor capacidad que antes para velar por la ciudad, lo que es sumamente satisfactorio.

En las últimas semanas me ha llenado de un placer profesional increíble, ver los esfuerzos de los residentes y vecinos antigüeños, porque Palacio de los Capitanes Generales mantenga un uso digno y siga siendo sede del poder público local. Para mí es ver, en plena flor, el fruto de los esfuerzos de muchos a través de tantos años. Realmente se trata de un acto cívico encomiable y ejemplar.

Defiendo la Conservación y Desarrollo Positivo de la Ciudad porque creo en ella, de la misma manera que creo en la labor del Consejo Nacional para la Protección de La Antigua Guatemala. Si no hubiera sido por el Consejo, no me puedo imaginar QUÉ hubiera pasado con nuestra amada ciudad, ¡ni me lo quiero imaginar!

Desde hace algunas semanas, cuando Miguel Torres me notificó el alto honor que se me haría en esta celebración, he reflexionado sobre tantas cosas que han pasado a lo largo de los 42 años que tengo de conocer y dar a conocer la Ciudad y su conservación, que me han mantenido entre la nubes de gratos recuerdos.

Me siento agradecida al estar al lado de la Familia del arquitecto Roberto Ogarrio Marín, quien con su entusiasmo y dedicación, embarcó a toda una generación de jóvenes antigüeños -de aquel entonces- en la tarea de salvaguardar la ciudad monumental.

Todo eso me llena de emoción y estimula a continuar con la labor. Deseo y Esperaría que en el futuro, al mencionar mi nombre, quien lo escuche, lo primero que piense sea en la importancia de CONOCER, SALVAR y VELAR por el futuro positivo de esta ciudad, con la misma intensidad con que yo lo hago.

Esta condecoración la recibo llena de satisfacción y la dedico a mis hijos, Julio y Alexander. Lo hago a manera de compensación, pues mientras fueron chiquitos les dejé de dar inestimable tiempo que dediqué a rescatar y valorar un patrimonio cultural que llegó a tener reconocimiento universal, con la esperanza de dejarles esta ciudad, única en el mundo, en mejores condiciones de las que yo la recibí.

A nivel profesional, se la dedico al arquitecto José María Magaña Juárez con quien, desde 1979, hemos mantenido una constante colaboración en la tarea de dar a conocer la ciudad y ciudarla.

Sin ellos, este momento no hubiera sido posible.

Realmente estoy conmovida – pues esta Condecoración es la más alta que el Estado de Guatemala da en el ámbito de la Conservación de La Antigua Guatemala- ¡lo que además, me llena de emoción!

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 and lectures and constant activities in the preservation of the city and its cultural heritage.”

Over 200 people attended and there were several speeches including one by Ms. Bell as well as by Arquitecto Eduardo Andrade Abularach who is the new conservador of Consejo. Afterwards there was wine, boquitas and live music performed by the Bob Porter Orchestra.

We congratulate Elizabeth on her award and appreciate her years of service to La Antigua.

Antigua International School's Director Jim Pastore

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 even exist today.

“My concern is that our students will be over-prepared for the universities of the future—and that’s a nice worry to have,” said Pastore, who next month will welcome an initial 60 students to Antigua International School.

Eventually to enroll some 400 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, AIS caters to children of Antigua’s diverse cultural and socio-economic population of entrepreneurs, local Antigüeños, ex-pats and “internet warriors,” who can easily telecommute from Guatemala with clients worldwide, Pastore explained.

Among the new students will be the three children (ages 8, 11 and 13) of Ellen Mueller, a 15-year Antigua resident who expects AIS to deliver the same type of top-notch education she received growing up outside of Boston.

“I love their motto—‘teaching kids how to think, not what to think’—so they will strive to be creative, critical thinkers,” Mueller said. “I feel relieved that AIS is opening in Antigua, it’s the answer to my children’s needs.”

The new school also fills a void in the community, she added. “Antigua is so rich in culture, people and history, but what’s been missing is a high-quality education. AIS promises to offer a world-class educational experience with excellent teachers, challenging curriculum and an integrative learning process.”

It was the opportunity to launch an innovative, diverse school that lured Pastore back to Antigua—he taught at Colegio Maya in the 1990s. “One of the reasons I came here was because I already knew what Antigua was like,” he said. “No one’s really done a true 21st century school that’s student centered and focused on active learning.” With oversight from a well-traveled, highly educated and passionate board of directors, AIS will be a student-driven, bilingual learning center built on a foundation of robust communication among parents, teachers, students and staff, Pastore said.

“I’m built on the four ‘Fs’—fair, firm, flexible and fun,” he added.

Fluent in English, Spanish and Italian, Pastore amassed his expertise over the years as a teacher and administrator at international schools in the Americas and Europe. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and education from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s in administration from the College of New Jersey. Pastore spent nine of the past 11 years in Italy as a headmaster and principal; he’s also been a school principal in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and most recently on the island of Antigua in the West Indies.

At AIS, the core curriculum consists of math, science, social studies and language arts taught in English with a strong emphasis on Spanish language for 25% of the academic day. Community service will be emphasized, and the arts and athletics will be incorporated directly into the curriculum.

“We also want to make sure the children know where they live and appreciate all the good things about Guatemala,” Pastore said. “Kids may hear a lot of negatives, but there’s a lot of good. … As they get older they can apply Guatemala as the base for the rest of the world.”

In short, Pastore and the international team of teachers want to create memories—the good kind that will last long after a pyrotechnic science experiment, a role in a school play or an amazing field trip.

“We want to see the kindergartners and first-graders lined up wearing big rubber boots and planting trees and shrubs and then watching them grow, taking data over 12 to 13 years, and showing them off after graduation,” Pastore said.

During its opening year, Antigua International School—a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) institution—will be housed in El Cortijo de las Flores, five minutes from Antigua on the road to Ciudad Vieja. Opening day, Nov. 7, will begin with a festive welcome for students, parents and visitors before students file into their classrooms.

The permanent campus will be built at Finca Medina on the outskirts of Antigua, in time for the 2012-2013 school year.

For more information: www.antiguais.org, email info@antiguais.org or call 7832-0168

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 have been assembled with scrap wood.

What sets Xela’s apart is the sheer scope of it all: This is Vegas for someone used to pulling airport slots.

If you’ve mastered the coasters at your state fair back home, these will take you to a whole new level. Tickets buy you three times as much time upside down than you’re used to, so save the (surprisingly good) peanut smoothies until after.

The countdown for next year begins now, when Guatemalans from all over experience a unifying week of great tacos, endless shopping and the largest Ferris wheel you’ve ever seen.

Antigüeños and tourists alike streamed through the palace throughout the day to enjoy the activities and displays, which included an array of restaurants offering tastes of their specialty dishes.

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 shops selling luxury goods and the latest in European trends. However, after decades of neglect it endured a long downward spiral and became a chaotic jumble filled with street vendors, oversized billboards and congested traffic.

But now the tide is turning.

After encouraging various businesses such as Pollo Campero and McDonald’s to invest in the project, the municipality has transformed the crowded mess into a vibrant avenue—safe for pedestrians to wander down.

The restoration team started by relocating dozens of street vendors who used to clutter the sidewalks, selling pirated DVDs and designer knock-offs. They then spent a year cleaning (and widening) the pavements, putting up new artwork and taking down old signs that covered every inch of the buildings. The emphasis on orderliness is now so strict that not even presidential candidates are allowed to decorate the avenue with their campaign propaganda.

Today the street, which has been renamed Paseo de La Sexta, runs from Plaza la Constitución (central park) to 18 Calle and is mainly pedestrian-only with just the Transmetro and a handful of cars allowed through. Regularly patrolled by uniformed police officers on bicycles, it’s once again a safe haven for Guatemalans to shop, socialize in coffee shops and admire the public art that adorns each side of the walkway.

The avenue has fast become a popular venue both day and night. Some city dwellers have even described the transformation as “another world” and say the radical changes have injected life into the capital and given the people access to a cleaner and safer place to visit.

However, despite the marked improvements, a small number of locals lament the changes and believe that the municipality has stripped La Sexta of its identity. Once a symbol of the 1980s fighting between the army and the people, they say these poignant marks from the clashes 30 years ago have been removed and the important years of yesterday now lie forgotten.

The municipality plans to continue restoring over 100 historic monuments around the city and still has further plans for La Sexta. These include opening art galleries and bookstores and restoring an old movie theater in the recently transformed public space.

It may only be a small change to a small avenue in a city filled with problems, but it’s a start at improving the quality of life for the people who live in the surrounding areas.

photos: Johannes Blijdenstein

Sue Patterson (center) with WINGS supporters

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 La Antigua Guatemala, where they met WINGS board members and staff and watched WINGS’ new nine-minute film about family planning.

“One of my inspirations is trying to help the women of Guatemala. They do hold up half the world,” said retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer Sue Patterson, who founded WINGS over 10 years ago. “I have a passion for helping women get better control of their lives.”

The organization’s history dates to 1999 when Patterson, a 25-year diplomat who served in Chile, Iran, Guatemala and Italy, received a request from a friend to fund voluntary tubal ligations for seven women— each of whom had at least eight children.

Reaching out to friends, Patterson, who lives in Antigua, raised the needed $4,000 and put the wheels in motion for a permanent organization that would provide reproductive health and family planning services in Guatemala.

In 2001, WINGS achieved U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit status, hired its first full-time staff member to provide reproductive health education and began providing Pap smears to detect cervical cancer.

After providing screenings to 200 women in the first year, WINGS today reaches more than 30,000 women, men and youth in Guatemala. Its budget has gone from the initial $4,000 to over $1 million.

“WINGS really started off doing one thing—family planning in the communities,” said Janeen Simon, WINGS’ executive director. “We now have five programs to give people information to make informed choices so they can have healthier, happier families.

“Without Sue we wouldn’t be here today,” Simon continued. “She’s been an incredible inspiration to us.”

For more information or to donate, visit www.wingsguate.org, e-mail
info@wingsguate.org or call 7832-5130.

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 (grilled pineapple and cheddar) and several more.

Grilled on an open flame, all the burgers are generous, hand-crafted feasts made with the freshest ingredients.

More than 200 burgers and an ocean of drinks were served gratis to dozens of appreciative patrons at Lava’s grand opening Thursday night, May 12, at the new restaurant, a half-block north of Central Park in the same venue as Ocelot, Pangea, Ixcot’s and Whisky Den.

Congratulations, Shaun Paul Griffiths and Jason Lever, on your new venture!

‘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 last year they started “I Do, Guatemala” to entice engaged couples abroad to tie the knot in Antigua.

“It’s just breathtaking—very romantic, majestic,” Sciarrillo said. “When foreigners come here, they fall in love with the place.”

Black and Sciarrillo arrange every last detail of a wedding to remove the burden from the couple and to give them and their guests a lifetime of fond memories.

In recent celebrations, couples in wedding attire have kissed under the Santa Catalina Arch, strolled through the Antigua market and exchanged vows in the splendor of Convento de Capuchinas and the Cathedral of San José.

I Do, Guatemala has dispatched happy couples and their guests across the country for visits to Tikal, Lake Atitlán and the beach. Guests have ridden from the ceremony to receptions in uniquely Guatemalan style, too, such as tuc-tucs and a chicken bus.

“Antigua was all we had dreamed of and more,” said newlywed Dave Kopetsky of Denver (USA).  “The geographic setting was fabulous with the volcano and rooftop views.  The city architecture hasn’t changed much over the years and it feels like you’re walking back in time. … At the same time Antigua possessed many of the modern benefits —technology, restaurants, transportation—that made our guests feel comfortable.”

For Kopetsky’s rehearsal dinner, Sciarrillo arranged for a traditional Mayan fire ceremony—unbeknownst to the couple.

“She translated what the Maya priest was saying, and our family and friends gathered all around us in the blessing.  That was truly special to us and quite a surprise. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” Kopetsky recalled.

Although relatives and other guests were initially reluctant to travel to Guatemala, based on rumors and warnings, Kopetsky conveyed the positive experiences of friends who had traveled here and loved it.

“Some guests of ours, including my family, had never even traveled out of the country before. So in a way I could understand their reservations,” he said. “By contrast the information we received from friends of ours who had actually traveled there was that they felt safer in Antigua than they had anywhere else in the world. We would definitely echo that after our experience, as would our guests.”

Every wedding package has something special—be it an indigenous ceremony, an appearance by Antigua’s beloved “Cigar Lady,” salsa lessons or a marimba band. At a January wedding, Black and Sciarillo gave the lighting of the unity candle a twist by incorporating a Mayan globo into the ceremony and launching it into the sky.

“We try to give each couple more than they expect,” Sciarrillo said.

Activities such as mountain biking, golf, volcano climbs, and even cooking classes are also options. And while weddings are the focus, Sciarrillo also orchestrates anniversaries, birthdays and corporate events.

Guests have been pleasantly surprised and often speak of returning, Kopetsky among them.
“Antigua was a traditional, beautiful and inexpensive destination for us. We couldn’t have been happier with our decision,” he said.

And even though Kopetsky tries to visit a different destination on every vacation, “Guatemala is so special to us now, though, that we might need to make a trip back for a future anniversary.”

For more information visit www.weddingsinguatemala.com

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 Escuela Proyecto La Esperanza were among the many patrons.

Ocelot owner Shaun Paul Griffiths generously donated one-third of the night’s take to EFTC, which is based in Nottingham, England.

Donors and volunteers are needed. For details see www.eftc.org.uk

VIPs & children

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, an audio-visual room, library, kitchen, psychology room and more. It also has access to playing fields and green space, thanks to the generosity of Finca La Azotea, which donated most of the 3,000 square meters of land on which the new school stands.

“This is a very special day,” British Ambassador to Guatemala Julie Chappell told an assembly of children, parents, teachers and supporters seated in the broad courtyard on Monday, Jan. 17.

The bright, airy learning center is the centerpiece project of the Nottingham-based Education for the Children Foundation, whose chairman, David McKee, fought back tears as he addressed the audience.

“We have a beautiful building – but it’s just a building,” he said. “A school needs children who want to work hard and study. A school needs teachers with abilities but who also understand the problems of the people of Jocotenango.

“A school needs leaders with vision. But most of all a school needs a heart and a soul. La Esperanza has those qualities that make it a school,” he said.

The top three learning priorities will be computer skills, English and extra-curricular activities, be they sports, arts or community service, McKee added. “With education, all things are possible.”

French architect Pierre Turlin, who worked at greatly reduced rates, was cited for working closely with materials supplier El Mastil to keep construction costs down (approximately Q3,440,000). El Mastil also discounted prices as its contribution to the project, McKee added.

Another of EFTC’s top benefactors locally, Ricardo Pokorny and Katie Cunningham of Finca La Azotea, provided a 75% discount on land costs and allowed the foundation to repay the balance over 15 years. Children can go out the back door, through rows of coffee plants, and enjoy sports on a wide playing field, among other educational features at the farm.

Not only are children of Azotea employees enrolled at the 2,000-square-meter school, it also plays a pivotal role in improving the future of the community, Pokorny explained.

“If education improves in Jocotenango, I improve, Azotea improves, tourism improves,” he said. “It reduces violence … the whole town improves and reduces its sleeper community characteristics.”

The school replaces a smaller, cramped center where children didn’t have the opportunity to play on green grass. La Esperanza also has capacity for 125 more children than the old location, which EFTC had been renting since 2008.

“This school has space to think and study – but also to play, to have access to real grass. The old school didn’t have space to play,” Ambassador Chappell said. “This is one dream fulfilled — and we’re waiting to hear what the next dreams are, and we’re here to support them.”

To donate or for more information, visit www.eftc.org.uk.

“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 since we opened in December 2001,” said Reilly’s owner Henrik Nielsen.

Crews began remodeling work on Dec. 6 to re-create Reilly’s uniquely Irish flair – including a colorful Guinness mural and wood flooring — in the new, more spacious location at 6a avenida norte #2.

“We’ll have the same menu, ambiance and fun-loving staff that have made Reilly’s such a popular destination for almost a decade,” Nielsen said.

A months-long contract dispute led to Reilly’s eviction Nov. 16 from its original location, Nielsen explained. “It was a nothing more than a landlord-tenant issue – our municipal leadership and local ordinances were not involved in any way, contrary to an erroneous initial report,” he said.

“The upside is, we’ve found an ideal new location, and we can’t wait to start serving our loyal friends and customers once again,” Nielsen said.

For updates, check Reilly’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/reillys.antigua

A California native who’s lived in Antigua since age 14, Bell was featured Nov. 30^th at the Books & Books bookstore in Coral Gables and presented the 2010 edition of her book “Antigua Guatemala: The City and Its Heritage.”

She answered many fun questions about the historic city known for its colonial architecture, cobblestone streets and festive Holy Week celebration.

Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick presented Bell with a Coral Gables medallion, and Bell donated copies of her children’s coloring books for the international section of the new Coral Gables Museum.

Ms. Bell and Revue editor Matt Bokor helped organize a visit by Mayor Slesnick and numerous dignitaries from Coral Gables in July 2002 to reinforce Sister City ties, and several exchanges have followed.

The Sister Cities program is an effort to increase citizen diplomacy begun in 1956 by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Elizabeth Bell and Mayor Don Slesnick

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 shopping list that enjoys setting a lovely table for the holidays (or any other day of the year for that matter) check out Colibrí. They have an extensive assortment of scarves, table runners, napkins, coasters, and placemats sure to please every decorating style. In addition to their usual array of vibrant textiles, during the holiday shopping season they will be carrying Christmas-themed items such as towels, tablecloths, napkins and even tortilla warmers. Their prices will also please every budget with items ranging from Q38 to Q1,150.  

For an eclectic selection of incense, clothes and jewelry, visit D’Jinn. Their store is a colorful and calm oasis located on the popular Calle del Arco. The inventory is constantly being updated with fashionable and funky items such as dresses, skirts, blouses, purses and scarves. Be sure to check out their amazing selection of pants made out of typical indigenous fabrics. Prices at D’Jinn range from a mere Q40 up to Q3,000.

Looking for original artwork? El Sol Maya sells paintings by Guatemalan artist Mario Lanz. His paintings feature the woman on the label for Quetzalteca-Especial rum. He has painted her as a Guatemalan version of other characters such as Supergirl, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and Rodin’s The Thinker, just to name a few. They also sell bags of all sizes made of traditional fabrics and featuring Lanz’s images. Bags start at Q200, paintings are Q600 and up.

If you have some time on your hands and would like to wander around a store with lots of space and an inventory of well over a million items (give or take) visit Casa de los Gigantes. The word “gigantic” is in their name for a reason—you name it, they probably have it. They offer room after room of unique and fun items such as nativity sets, pottery, candles, ornaments, statues, dishes —including one huge room dedicated to nothing but textiles. Overwhelming? Yes, but in a good way. Prices start at Q25. And here’s a fun fact—according to Siggy, the owner of Casa de los Gigantes, if you were on actor Matthew McConaughey’s Christmas list a couple years ago, odds are the teak cutting board you got from him came from her store.

So, let’s say the sky’s the limit this holiday season. (If so, please add me to your shopping list.) How about giving a pool table to that special someone this year? Visit Liverpool and check out their fine selection of pool, foosball, poker and yes, even ping pong tables. If you bring your room measurements, they can help you decide what size table will work the best for your space. They also carry all of the accessories you’ll need to make the game room the most fun place in your house. Prices at Liverpool range from Q2,200 to upwards of Q10,000.

For an educational shopping experience, check out Casa Del Tejido, a store and museum of indigenous textiles run completely by indigenous people. They will be happy to give you a tour of their museum and explain the significance of the different traditional fabrics, clothing and head wear from each region. You can also see a weaving demonstration and visit room after room of colorful textiles. In addition to clothing, purses, scarves, hats and masks, they sell chocolate and coffee so there’s something for everyone and every budget.

La Casa del Conde carries all types of new books and maps, as well as travel guides for the Central American region. If there’s someone on your list who is becoming bilingual, take a look at their selection of Spanish textbooks. And for those sending gifts back home, why not show people how beautiful our town is by giving them an Antigua photo book for Q145? It includes pictures of Antigua taken by expert photographer Thor Janson, who was featured in the November 2010 edition of REVUE.

Want to buy something with a little sparkle to it? Joyería del Ángel is a lovely, bright and inviting store—good vibes abound here. Ivonne, the owner, is outgoing and fun—she would love to show you around and discuss their one-of-a-kind designs. In addition to jewelry, they also sell sunglasses, purses and beautiful French hats and scarves. They believe having fun while shopping is important, so every weekend during the month of December they are offering cookies and drinks to their customers. So stop by, grab some coffee, and take a look at their exclusive jewelry designs! Prices start around Q325 and go up from there.

If you happen to be in the Central Park while doing your shopping, visit Un Poco de Todo. As the name suggests, they carry a little of everything—t-shirts, calendars, books, hats, music, postcards, original artwork, coffee… Their selection of cookbooks includes those written in both English and Spanish, so there’s something for everyone. And if there’s a wee little person on your shopping list, they also carry children’s books.

Hardware stores aren’t just for nails and paint anymore. El Mástil is an excellent place to buy gifts for men and women alike. They carry a great selection of Victorinox merchandise, including flashlights and the extremely popular Swiss Army knives. And if you want to give the gift of life, they sell EcoFiltro water purifiers—what could be better than giving someone the benefit of clean drinkable water all year? If you can’t decide what to get, ask for Gabriel—he would be happy to offer you some suggestions.  

For the gardener on your list, Vivero La Escalonia is your one-stop shopping destination. Here you will find everything from house plants, trees, shrubs and flowers to gardening tools such as gloves and shovels. During the holidays they will be selling wreaths and poinsettias. They also offer a lovely assortment of pots, fountains, statues and bird feeders for those looking to beautify their yards. While shopping, take a break and enjoy a meal in their café. If you are stumped (bad pun?) and don’t know what to buy, they also offer gift certificates.

If there’s a fashionista on your list, go to B Fashion. Their inventory of trendy blouses, skirts, pants, purses and jewelry includes items from Guatemala and the United States. Their selection of items is sure to please all styles. They are in the process of updating their store with winter items just in time for the holidays. Prices start at Q125.

Looking for something special for the person who has everything? Look no further than Ritual. They pride themselves in selling uncommon items from India. Their store is full of unique merchandise including statues, coasters, silver platters, furniture, decorative boxes, candle holders and even a sink basin lined entirely with mother-of-pearl.

For a truly unique shopping experience, visit El Patio Antiques. Their store is literally filled to the ceiling with one of a kind items including carved wooden doors, glassware, religious figures, silverware, furniture, paintings and statues. You will instantly feel younger as you walk among their stunning selection of antiques and vintage pieces.

For those of you who want to buy gifts online, but are wary of the Guatemalan postal service, Aerocasillas is here to help. Basically, you buy something online and have it sent to their address in Florida and they in turn send it to their office in Guatemala. You can track your package the entire time and they handle all customs and logistical details, which offers you peace of mind. The Antigua office is located inside Monoloco.

If you are still unsure of what to get, a gift certificate might be the best idea. For anyone who is overworked and overstressed, you can give them a day of pampering at a local spa. Know anyone with two left feet? Dance lessons might be the cure. A gift certificate to someone’s favorite restaurant would also be a great present. And if there’s a sportsperson on your list, a fishing excursion or a hiking trip might be just what they have always wanted.

Ok, now that you’re inspired, make your list, check it twice, put on your walking shoes and get out there and shop.

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.

In addition to its menu and literary offerings, Rainbow (7 ave. sur #8) also hosts informative lectures at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. Live patio music starts nightly at 7:30 p.m., and happy hour is 5-7 p.m. daily.

Guests at Rainbow’s 18^th birthday celebration enjoyed complimentary sangria and music by Atonement and Efecto Kamikaze in a festive setting at this Antigua favorite.

For more information visit www.rainbowcafeantigua.com. Better yet, just drop by and see for yourself.

“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 in La Antigua Guatemala; many restaurants feature extensive wine lists, as well there are always hidden and not so hidden treasures at Tienda Delicio and Epicure (deli and garden restaurant). Far from a chore, searching out a great bottle of wine in Antigua is a delightful adventure.

This month’s highlight: Ricardo Rueda’s Tabacos y Vinos features an excellent Le Petit Mouton de Mouton Rothschild. Its mid-range wine, and a personal favorite that I hadn’t expected to find is the Coppola Diamond Series from one of Napa Valley’s premier wineries. Champagne? He stocks the very good Laurent-Perriet and the Pommery, two of France’s favorite exports. For the last-minute shopper who needs a chilled bottle of chardonnay, there’s a small refrigerator full of a variety of white wines. The gift bag? It’s included and just tasteful enough, with room for an extra bottle or two.

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 then quickly adding a second. He now sells to 100 hotels and restaurants and over 50 private homes in Guatemala and El Salvador.

As we walk through his farm with Alex, we are surprised by the amount of produce that can be grown within this contained space and delighted by the variety we encounter. There are long, neat rows of lettuce, asparagus beds, and banana trees. There are blueberry and strawberry bushes with sweet fruit that Alex picks and offers to us. There are not quite enough berries to sell commercially yet; perhaps soon. There are hens and turkeys laying eggs. Not yet enough eggs to sell, but, again, possibly soon.

Products that are available year round include several varieties of lettuce, such as arugula; spinach; leeks; chives; sprouts; and fresh herbs such as rosemary, basil and cilantro. Throughout the year, other produce becomes available with its growing season. Produce ranges from the familiar, such as limes and eggplant, to items like malanga, unfamiliar to many shoppers. Malanga is a root vegetable, similar to potato, but full of protein and containing no gluten. It is prepared in any way that a potato would be prepared.

Produce is cut either early in the day, at 6 a.m., then washed and packaged for delivery that day, or cut late in the day, between 3 and 8 p.m., refrigerated overnight and delivered the next day. While all produce is washed, some items are washed three times and disinfected. These distinctions are clearly marked on the Caoba Farms packaging.

Frequency of orders may range from daily, in the case of larger establishments, to every two weeks, for smaller restaurants and hotels and some private homes.

Back to our original question: what does make Alex’s produce “organic?”
He explains that there are a number of factors that contribute to this designation:

1. Seeds have not been genetically altered and are of high quality. Some of the seeds are produced at Caoba Farms; others are purchased from the United States and are certified as organic by the United States’ Department of Agriculture (USDA).
2. Plants are grown in natural sunlight, as opposed to artificial sunlight.
3. Fertilizers are natural. Decomposed mulch from the Guatemalan mountains, as well as Caoba’s own compost and organic fertilizer are used. (Caoba’s organic fertilizer may also be purchased.) Earthworm casts (consisting of waste excreted after feeding) aerate the soil.
4. The soil is turned frequently. This prevents many types of fungus. An organic fungicide, also certified by the USDA, and actually a “good” fungus that feeds on “bad” fungus, is utilized.

What about insecticides?
The general public is perhaps most concerned with the use of these products when looking for organic produce. Alex uses natural pest repellants, such as garlic and neem oil. Neem oil comes from trees grown in India and Africa and kills the larvae of mosquitoes. Other products containing these ingredients, and certified as organic by the USDA, are also used.

Alex emphasizes that when plants are healthy, they are better able to withstand pests without a great deal of support from repellant products. His emphasis on maintaining healthy plants reduces his need to utilize even these natural products.

Alex was born and raised in Antigua. His mother has always enjoyed gardening, particularly with flowers, and Alex, while on school vacation, began to add salad to the garden beds. During high school and college in the United States, he was introduced to organic food and found that he enjoyed eating organically. As he sought out organic products in farmers’ markets, he realized that he could also garden organically, and began experimenting with this type of gardening.

Alex has a bachelor of science degree in entrepreneurship from the Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe, U.S. He cites consistency—in product, price and policy—as the number one piece of advice he would give to a potential entrepreneur.

Caoba Farms prides itself on the consistency of the quality of the produce, as well as consistency in policies, such as quick delivery after cutting.

What about prices?
Alex characterizes Caoba Farms’ prices as “more expensive than the mercado; less expensive than the large grocery stores.”

He began Caoba Farms when he returned to Antigua after his college graduation, with the support of his father. The name, Caoba, is the Spanish word for mahogany.

With such a large variety of quality produce available at all times, a big question poses itself: What does Alex like to cook?

He mentions barbecued eggplant. “Spread barbecue sauce on slices of eggplant and grill.” Another favorite is “stir-fry, with baby bok choy, spring onions and leaks. Add pasta and shrimp, chicken or crispy fish.”

To order produce from Caoba Farms, tels: (502) 5119-0278 or (502) 4507-8341, call a day ahead of anticipated delivery, before 5 p.m. Delivery to Guatemala City is on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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 was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

Four minutes later the violinist received his first dollar from a woman who threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. Six minutes later, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

Ten minutes later a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

The musician played continuously for 45 minutes. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.00.

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $200.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. In a common place, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One conclusion reached from this experiment could be this. If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made, how many other things are we missing?

photos: Thor Janson

Developing a Natural Sanctuary

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.

“When you preserve a place with a natural ecosystem you preserve all the biodiversity that lives in there,” Juan Rivera asserts.

Rivera is the manager of Finca El Pilar, a quiet natural retreat just 3.5 kilometers from La Antigua’s central park near San Cristóbal El Bajo. He says properly developing this wild haven into a tourist-friendly reserve is critical for enabling the invaluable research of a fragile and threatened ecosystem found within the grounds of the farm.
“We have some remaining cloud forest on the top. A cloud forest is a mix of conditions. You have to have a certain altitude above sea level—generally it’s above 1,800 meters. You have to have an ocean relatively close, the mist from the ocean forms clouds that fill the forest. You also have to have specific wind patterns that guide the clouds into the forest.”

Rivera estimates that about 30 percent of his farm constitutes a cloud forest and, without proper conservation, it could easily diminish to nothing.

“For the last four years, we’ve had a fire every year. Two years ago we had some big fires in the upper part near the houses and it burned all the forest soil.”

Rivera recalls that one fire was particularly devastating.

“It burned maybe 20 percent of the cloud forest that was on the top of the mountain. And you know a cloud forest is very, very wet, so it was a big fire. … We have to be monitoring constantly. In the dry season we have a water tank with a big hose attached on the back in case we need to put out fires.”

Fires aren’t the only threat. Global warming is another issue that Rivera says pressures the fragile environment.

“Global warming is a threat because … as it becomes hotter, maybe by 10 degrees, the forest can only find colder temperatures if it goes up. But, it doesn’t have any way to go up because there is no more land. So it’s starts to die.”

Research suggests that it takes between 500 and 600 years for a cloud forest to re-grow, and Rivera says “with the global warming that’s not going to happen.” Thus, the farm manager has just one option: “I can only preserve what I have left.”

What’s left still proves to be quite much. El Pilar is believed to be the home of one of the most diverse bat populations around Antigua. Other wildlife includes grey fox, snakes, porcupines, skunks, opossums, raccoons, frogs, lizards and more. But what attracts Rivera most is the plentiful population of birds. More than 130 species can be spotted flitting throughout the farm’s treetops.

“I want to build a place that is birdwatcher friendly. Maybe build a lodge farther up the mountain and a scientific station for visitors and students from around the world who are getting advanced degrees and want to come here to do research.”

Yet, Rivera wants to keep the reserve as wild and natural as possible.

“I want to make it very low-impact. We have a lot of potential with birdwatching tourism, the eco-system is very good. We can also make some trekking and mountain-biking.”

Rivera says El Pilar has already hosted international birdwatching activities attracting enthusiasts as far away as Japan. Wildlife conservationists and well-known photographer, Thor Janson, agrees that the natural reserve at El Pilar offers a prime opportunity for the local community to better connect with and understand its surrounding natural habitat.

“Apart from it being important to protect forests—all forests—everywhere, this particular forest being close to Antigua and being close to Guatemala City is a very fine place to get in touch with nature. It is part of the idea to have Boy Scout groups come out and camp here and things like that.”

“We are still building some infrastructure. When it’s all done we will start marketing and promoting. The end of the year —this is my goal.”

In the meantime, visitors are welcome to explore the wild reserve or take a dip in one of the farm’s three pools (Q10 p/p) that are filled with fresh-mountain spring water every day.

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 buy it for me— Got it?” Now, why anyone would manufacture such a thing, or who would buy it, is a complete mystery to me, but it certainly was thought-provoking.

It brought to mind being in a giant Toys R Us-type mega-toy store, the pungent smell of plastic reaching toxic levels, and hearing tiny voices demanding, insisting, badgering and whining for the toys they wanted. I don’t frequent stores like that in the States, but on my last visit there, one could witness the same kind of whining insistence in grocery stores, on the street, in malls. It’s the attitude that comes through with the voice.
I saw that shirt, and I thought, “What a North American thing.” But for all I know that kind of dissatisfied, entitled insistence among children is also a European and Canadian thing. I rather suspect so. It certainly isn’t a Guatemalan thing. Not in the least. Gracias a Dios!

Plastic bags are toys to play (photo: Victoria Stone)

I look around the vast used-clothing market and see four Guatemalan children playing fútbol with an old empty juice bottle for a ball. And others, who laughingly compete to see who can yell the loudest as they imitate their parents calling out “barata, barata!! Meta la mano!, solo un billete.” (It must be said that the whole issue of working children in Guatemala is another matter, beyond the scope of this writing, and that there exist some horrendous conditions in some places. But I have seen working children who take every opportunity to play at work, and who seem happier than many privileged “Western” children I have known. And, having not spent time in the poorest parts of Guatemala City, I cannot say if my observations apply to those places.)

Costales are toys to play (photo: Victoria Stone)

As I walk through the main streets and the neighborhood side streets of Panajachel and other small towns, I always see children playing in groups. Morning, afternoon, and in the safe dark of evening, little groups of boys and girls play fútbol, race, play hide and seek.

Flying a kite in Lake Atitlán (photo: Victoria Stone)

There are always playmates, too. And I mean always. Many children have big extended families with many siblings and cousins to play, all living in the same town. Not only that, but sharing seems to come naturally. After all, if there are any toys, they’re a lot more fun with someone to play with.

What do they need toys for anyway? They’ve got sisters, brothers, cousins, grandparents, uncles, aunts. And if a child has an imagination, there’s hardly ever a lack of toys. Walking along the shore of Lake Atitlán, I see that the local children have no qualms about turning the plentiful flotsam into toys. On one stroll I noticed a group building a little house together. They framed it in with popsicle sticks, used a styrofoam plate for a roof, plastic detergent bags for rugs inside, and were having a great time planting twigs for the garden outside, and watering the garden with a styrofoam cup. A bit farther on, their big sister had filled a small plastic water bottle and a piece of broken hose with sand to make a play torch—and was happily holding it up and proclaiming herself the winner of the antorcha race.

Then again, when there’s no garbage available to make toys out of, there are always the tools of work, as when children on the shore have joined their father who has brought down a pile of plastic costal bags to fill up as he harvests sand and pebbles from the shore. These, it turns out, are perfect for climbing into to have a jumping race with your cousins. Or when several little cousins crawl through the “tunnel” made by boards drying in the sun outside the carpenter’s taller.

Remnants of Semana Santa decorations become the perfect vehicle for sledding down the church steps with friends. (photo: Victoria Stone)

Once while traveling through the backwoods of Chiapas, Mexico, I walked through tiny encampments of indigenous people who were the poorest I’d ever seen, living in little dirt-yard shacks amid sparse vegetation. I noticed that the slack-eyed children had not a toy in the world. Tin cans in the garbage piles had not even become wheels to pull on a string, neither had rags become dolls. And I remembered the saying, “Of the many kinds of poverty in the world, the most tragic is poverty of the imagination.” This may be a type of poverty shared by “Western” children, but thankfully here in Guatemala, imagination, inventiveness and play are alive and well.

Girl with knife (photo: Victoria Stone)

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, and new customs that we must adjust to, that we only begin to notice specific differences and become able to differentiate and articulate them gradually.

On the other hand, those of us who have lived as residents in foreign countries for long periods of time get so accustomed to the cultural differences of our adopted countries that we hardly even notice them, and when we return to visit our “country of origin” we experience more culture shock than we did when we arrived in a foreign country.

It is tempting, and often subconscious at first, to make value judgments about the cultural differences we experience, and to judge things rather harshly as right or wrong, or simply in terms of what we like and don’t like—but with a strong emotional edge. Many people actually travel frequently and are still constantly buffeted about by their own emotional judgments of what they see.

Personally, I strive to remind myself to ask myself whether something which I simply don’t like is or is not morally wrong, according to my values. Usually the answer is no.  More importantly, I remind myself to observe impartially, to continue to observe, and to try to find the humor in the situation. Fortunately, this turns out to be extremely easy in the majority of instances.

Not long ago I was taking an evening stroll down Calle Santander, the main tourist street of Panajachel. As I passed by a string of locally run restaurants and tiendas, I saw a little Guatemalan girl, about 2 years old, alone in front of her family’s shop, off the sidewalk, in the street, playing with a little pile of broken glass.

Having recently returned from a trip to the U.S., I could easily imagine that if that scene had taken place in my country, her mother would soon come out of the shop to find her girl playing with broken glass, and with great drama, whisk the girl away in a freak-out, and tell her adamantly and theatrically how dangerous it was—“Don’t play with that!! You’ll hurt yourself !!” And of course, the girl would be startled to tears. But I have seen both the freedom and the good sense of even the smallest of children here—the coconut seller’s 4-year-old son practicing dehusking coconuts with a machete, the gangs of little boys setting off firecrackers under their own noses with no adult supervision, the children high up in flimsy limbed trees whose branches somehow magically support their weight. So I simply sat on the opposite sidewalk to see what would happen next.

There was no drama, no scolding, no violent dragging the girl away from the danger—no parental “Oh my God, get away from that!!” Instead, the girl’s father came out of the store, saw her playing with broken glass, calmly took he hand and led her inside. Moments later they both returned, he with a dustpan, she toddling along with a broom bigger than she was. Her father showed her how to use a broom as he held the dustpan, then he finished the job himself and they both went inside, holding hands, to put the broken glass in the garbage. No drama, no fuss. No big deal. Job well done, simple as that.

OK, I must admit, I make a value judgment: I like this way of responding better than the drama and complexity that would have ensued in such a simple situation in my country. Not only that, but I do believe that the response I witnessed was much more healthy for all involved, especially the little girl. But, yes, it also made me shake my head with a chuckle.

Out of the Blue (photo: Harris & Goller/viaventure.com)

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 tell you something … if you see someone you don’t like, look inside of yourself; the thing that you didn’t like about them, look and hunt it down inside of you. It might be small. Take it and throw it out, and look back at that person. Now you might still have things there you don’t like because your energies are doing different dances, but that other part, you won’t see it again.

Anything you can believe you’ve already got and you hold to it, now it might literally kill you, but you can be darn sure it will come to pass. But the main thing is to believe you already have it. That’s the secret. If you see it’s going to happen and really believe it, there ain’t no way for it not to happen.

It’s just like that instant camera there. If I got everything set, there’s no way for it not to take that picture if I press that button. Your life is the same way. If you can believe it and organize your thinking and your life, it will happen.
Our whole life, our whole existence is a pattern before us, right out to the end of the woods. We have everything we want at all times. Everything we need to learn is right outside that door. But humans want everything a mystery. You can step out there on that porch of mine and you can see all those trees hugging each other and reaching for the sun, and they’re all doing beautiful.”

All healers do is to give you the power to believe it works. They do this by loving your spirit and when you feel this, then you are healing yourself.

(Edition May 21-28, 1993)

The Nahualá Table (photo: César Tián)

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 distinctive features are carved front legs, carved skirt or faldón and a sometimes seemingly endless number of carved-front drawers, some of which are stacked on top of one another. The legs are a combination of a Chippendale ball-and-claw foot and someone’s idea of the legs of the Hapsburg eagle or the legs of a lion. Whatever they are, they are referred to as patas de león.

The carved skirt that supports the drawer guides has two standard elements: the sun and four-petal flowers. The rest of the space is filled with whatever elements from the animal kingdom the artist feels like adding. Drawer patterns are usually just flowers.

In its oldest form the table top has square holes through which pass four square pegs carved into the top of the legs; drawers have dove-tail joints and hand-made wooden nails. In its more recent form, everything is joined with steel nails from the hardware store.

There was a time when either table makers or table owners tried to “out do” one another in decorating the unit. Many pieces are almost covered with shiny brass tacks.

Good Nahualá tables can command a pretty steep price these days. But just remember, if it’s an old one, you can’t export it. Under the law it forms part of the nation’s patrimonio cultural.

This Revue article was first printed in February 1999

“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 he couldn’t reach any of the vines or underbrush he had been hiking through all morning.

Judging his rate of descent, he figured he had another half hour before his arms would be under. He needed a plan. His three companions were no help so far, they just stood out of reach, wagging their tails and barking.

Taymor had been on the island for a couple of months now. He had been asked down to do some consulting work at a friend’s vacation resort off the north coast of Honduras.

So far he had re-organized the bar and restaurant operations, setting up systems for inventory and for ordering supplies from the mainland. He was enjoying the work, and he liked most of the 30 permanent staff members.

The resort was truly lovely, situated on a hillside, overlooking the Caribbean, and totally surrounded by tropical jungle.

Taymor had plenty of time to hike, swim and walk along the beach. The small island had no roads, and only two little towns, so in the evenings the main source of entertainment was to chat with the guests, drink rum and watch the sunset.

This is where Taymor would one day meet Gertrude, the future Mrs. Sweetwater-Farhang, the love of his life. But that’s another adventure.

One of the island’s drawbacks was its lack of fresh water. There were underground springs, but they were hard to locate and dried up during part of the year. The resort had a large cement cistern for water storage that was fed by a pipeline from the nearest spring, a mile away. It was hard to see the water level inside.

Taymor decided to tackle the water problem. First he had to determine the current water usage. When the water was very low in the cistern, he asked a maintenance man to drain it and paint a white line every foot so they could monitor the water level.

The next day he walked up the hill only to find the white lines painted on the outside of the cement block cistern.

Making a mental note to be more specific with his instructions in the future, Taymor planned his day.

He would hike over the north ridge and search for a new source of fresh water. He knew of a small creek that he could follow uphill. Manybe they’d name his discovery “Taymor Springs.” He took his machete, a canteen, two mangos, a Snickers bar and the resort dogs.

Hours later, the creek got smaller and smaller until it was just some muddy water bubbling up from the ground. As he bent down to inspect it, the top soil suddenly collapsed, and Taymor was trapped in a miniature swamp.

The mud was up to his chest now and Taymor knew it was time for a desperate move. He called to the dogs to get their attention, then he threw his machete over their heads. They loved to play fetch, and his plan depended on one of them bringing back the “stick.”

Coco got to the machete first and romped back to the mudhole with it, but, sensing danger, stopped short of Taymor’s hand. As the dog turned to run away, Taymor used the last of his strength to lunge out, grab Coco’s tail and hold on for dear life.

First printed in REVUE Dec. 30–Jan. 13, 1995

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 to our surprise, the path we cut led us past a lone standing Mayan stela. A few weeks later Ledyard Smith, the head archaeologist at Ceibal, came over with his team to see it for themselves. Ultimately they would unearth 28 monuments, several palaces and a large hieroglyphic staircase!

In the time that we came across what turned out to be a magnificent ruin and the subsequent visit from Dr. Smith, we had yet another it-could-only-happen-in-the-jungle experience.

A canoe from a neighboring cooperative stopped at the banks of our rancho and out stepped Jean Pierre Mober. He introduced himself as a French free-lance photographer and told us that he was hoping he could spend some time with us in the jungle, and that he was especially interested in photographing the stela we’d found.

During Jean Pierre’s stay with us I took him up a nameless stream that I wanted to explore. We were not able to get very far though because a tree had fallen, blocking the waterway. Jean Pierre, with machete in hand, was at the bow of the 30-foot canoe and I was at the motor end. The first whack of his machete into the offending branches upset a large and very angry hoard of wasps.

They were big wasps, huge in fact— more than an inch long and extremely aggressive. With the wasps smarming around us, stinging, Jean Pierre fell backwards into the canoe and I fell into the water.

It took us about 10 minutes to get back to camp, and though we’d both been stung, Jean Pierre was now having trouble breathing. We persuaded him to take some antihistamine but his breathing just got worse and worse. He was managing what seemed like maybe a breath a minute, and at that, it was just a gasp! His face swelled to the size of a volley ball, his eyes almost disappeared into the folds of his face.

Suddenly he started waving his arms, clearly wanting to tell us something important. There we were, playing charades with a man who we feared wouldn’t live past sunset. At last we understood what it was he wanted. Ever the consummate photojournalist, he was telling us to take a picture of his face! The story has a good ending, Jean Pierre not only lived to tell his tale, he had the proof in black and white.

Epilogue: Felipe Guillen, a retired chiclero, was always my best source of jungle lore. When I told him about the wasp encounter he said, “Oh the standard wasp isn’t a problem, all you have to do is jump in the water and the stings won’t affect you.” That’s why Jean Pierre had gotten so very sick—he didn’t end up in the water like I had!

A few months later, Ian Graham came to record the hieroglyphics at the ruins that we now had named Itzán. He found a lens cap belonging to Jean Pierre, left behind from the day he’d been there with us, photographing the site. Ian stuck the cap in his pocket and, sure enough, he later came across Jean Pierre in Paris and returned it!

This Revue article was first printed in February 1999

Thoughts on Social Embracement

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.

When I was a lad the only kissing that went on (to my knowledge) was from mothers on departure to school and from aunts at birthday parties and Christmas. Both were to be avoided to the maximum extent possible without giving offense too visibly. The chaste exchanges between my parents seemed symbolic rather than expressive of profound emotion. But things have changed.

Kissing, like handshaking, has become frequent, conventional and anticipated. The problem is: How many? I give my wife Annette a handsome single most mornings.

Again a quandary arises in circumstances when a lady extends her hand. Kiss it or shake it? A wrong choice can be socially irredeemable. Of course, moderation should be exercised always—multiple kissing extending from finger tip to elbow is ludicrous. Kissing the palm, sniffing or licking the fingers should also be avoided.

But go to a cocktail party and the ladies expect at least two. This can be hazardous to both kisser and kissee, particularly if one or both contenders wears hats, earrings, glasses, hearing aids, dentures, detachable hairpieces or other devices creating difficulty of access or productive of an embarrassing entanglement.

Judge my surprise, then, when on a European trip I found I was expected to provide no less than three kisses. The ladies continuously turned their heads from side to side and I was obliged to kiss each cheek as it flashed past. How this asymmetrical practice developed I am unaware.

The story goes that when Keats was drafting “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” he arranged to “shut her wild, wild eyes with kisses three.” It was pointed out that this created some technical difficulties since it required one and a half kisses on each eyelid. He therefore shut her eyes with kisses four, which neatly resolved the quandary. Obviously, he preferred symmetry to tradition.

Of course I learned years ago that social bussing, clipping or kissing (the words are synonymous) has nothing to do with the hearty lip-to-lip stuff in which the participants appear to chew upon each others’ lips and perform the elaborate lingual gymnastics that we have become accustomed to see in movies and on TV and which are supposed to denote heightening passion. No, in social kissing the two contestants place their cheeks in brief parallel alignment, and one or both generate soft sounds of suction by the sharp intake of breath. Does the tongue have a role in these circumstances? I think the response is an unequivocal negative unless the participants wish to convey to each other not only conventional friendliness but also an anticipatory sequel.

Cocktail parties can be hazardous to both kisser and kissee, particularly if one or both contenders wears hats, earrings,
glasses, hearing aids, dentures, detachable hairpieces or other devices creating difficulty of access or productive of
an embarrassing entanglement.

The exchanges between adults, children and babies pose an entirely different set of problems. Of a largely symbolic character, children will submit readily only if a reward is hinted at and babies only if fed, dry and asleep. I do not consider these as serious social difficulties. W.C. Fields, no doubt to his latter-day, gin-sodden condition, said that anyone who disliked dogs and children could not be wholly bad. I feel he must have had some unfortunate experiences with children, and I cannot believe that he would kiss his dog, even in an inebriated state.

One Alfred Wolfram extended social embracement to a bizarre extreme. In 1990 at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival he kissed 8,001 people in eight hours, representing an average of 16.67 persons per minute. Some years ago the Reader’s Digest published an article in which a kiss of average intensity was quantitated in terms of energy expenditure. It was stated that such a kiss consumed nine calories and that to lose one pound by this method would require 389 repetitions. Wolfram expended some 72,000 calories in the performance of his unusual feat with a calculated loss of 185 pounds. As a method of weight control it is not to be recommended.

Social kissing, the hazards of which I have mentioned, does have certain advantages over the counter-labial practice motivated by affection. In social kissing there is less likelihood of transmission of illness, including the common cold, gum disease and infective mononucleosis. Accidental biting of the tongue, lips or buccal mucosa cannot take place, and offense created by bad breath, unswallowed food or eructation is avoided entirely. It is true that certain skills are required, and knowledge of local custom is necessary, if social kissing is to be conducted with aplomb. Furthermore, continued practice is essential if these learned skills are to be retained to their full effectiveness.

To this point I have excluded mention of hand-kissing, although this certainly qualifies as an authentic form of social exchange. My impression is that the practice has fallen somewhat into disuse in the Anglo-Saxon world, being retained principally by Europeans of Latin origin and brazen egotists. Again a quandary arises in circumstances when a lady extends her hand. Kiss it or shake it? A wrong choice can be socially irredeemable. Of course, moderation should be exercised always — multiple kissing extending from finger tip to elbow is ludicrous. Kissing the palm, sniffing or licking the fingers should also be avoided. The kisser’s lips should be clean, dry and leave no stains, moisture or debris on the kissee. Hand-kissing accompanied by a loud intake of breath, bowing, posturing, flourishing of headgear or other articles of clothing, clicking of the heels, stamping of the feet—any of which might be considered extravagant in today’s unimaginative world—should be performed with studied discretion.

However, I believe that a strong case can be made for extended use of this method of salutation. Not only is it supported by centuries of tradition among persons of culture but also, when conducted with dignity, becomes a graceful gesture quite exempt from physical hazards. Support for the revival of this practice is invited.

Arabica is the one that popularized coffee consumption throughout the world, and all fine coffees belong to this species. Robusta is regularly used for soluble coffee, and its characteristics are harsher than arabica’s.

The aroma and taste of the traditional arabica coffees surpass the hybrid species in the second echelon. And in the third echelon we see those traditional varieties that gradually ripen under shade. Shade-grown coffees, besides providing huge environmental advantages, are preferred by connoisseurs because the slow maturing process allows coffee cherries to fully develop their sugar content. 

The fourth echelon of the quality pyramid contains the traditional shade varieties that preserve their attributes through the wet process, receiving the name of washed coffees once this level is achieved.

 The fifth echelon belongs to the washed arabica variety, which is sun dried. This technique avoids mechanical processes that might result in a defective product, delivering a bean of excellent physical traits and a moisture level that homogenizes and preserves cup quality.

Finally, the apex of the pyramid contains entirely handcrafted coffees, which receive a greater level of recognition. These coffees result from skillful practices at the field and milling levels, creating a mystical product. That’s how we obtain a product highly esteemed and recommended by world coffee tasters.

The author and two La Antigua cabinet makers turned boat builders next to the catboat at central park, La Antigua

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 no professional boat builders. So do it anyway.

Over the years I have dealt with some excellent cabinet-makers in Guatemala—and with some wood butchers. I felt that by contracting a truly fine cabinet-maker and working daily in his shop, I could overcome my shortcomings.
I would draft the unfamiliar pieces and supervise the form, eyeballing the shape, while his tools and experience would compensate for my ham-handed carpentry. As the boat progressed, I was very happy to find that my assumption was correct.

La Antigua has no lakes, no big rivers—hardly a place to build boats. But, residents of this mountain-locked, dry-land city have used the extraordinary skills of local artisans to do just that.

Several years ago, a fiberglass factory in Santa Lucía Milpas Altas produced many things, including rowboats and surfboards.

Just recently, M. Pierre Turlin, a French sailor and artist who works mostly in wood and glass, launched his 37-foot sloop in Río Dulce. He designed the boat with a centerboard and shallow draft for use in the cays. It has many other innovative features, which make it a safe, comfortable boat for extended cruising. The yacht was built here in La Antigua with local helpers who had no experience in boat building. The hull is steel, but the deck and interior are done in the beautifully finished wood for which Pierre is well known.
A 20-foot outboard launch is under construction by Sr. Elmer Monzón, who has a fiberglass shop in Jocotenango. He is also laying up a peddle-powered boat, which will incorporate a transmission.

And now, my classic wooden boat, built here, is almost ready to launch. This mini-cruiser is a 15-foot catboat, a design developed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts around 1850 for fishing. Since catboats have a wide beam, usually almost half their length, this is not a small dinghy. She will happily carry six adults day sailing and has bunk flats in the cuddy cabin, where two can sleep. Another distinguishing feature of catboats is the large, single sail set on a mast very near the bow.

She is being built in the cabinet-makers shop of Sr. Jorge Samayoa Paniagua on Calle Rubio, behind the Hotel Santo Domingo. I discussed my idea with him, explaining that I needed a place to build, proper tools and one or more skilled carpenters to cut the pieces to my patterns and help me assemble them. I showed him the scale model I’d built of cardboard (4 cm to 1 foot) and explained the method of building. He replied, saying essentially, “If it’s built of wood, we can do it.” We made a hand-shake contract.

Sr. David Ramírez was assigned as my full-time helper. He and Sr. Samayoa constructed a sturdy, completely level building platform which became the base line for all measurements. The bottom plank with a rocker of 7 inches at the bow and 8.5 inches at the stern was tacked to the platform with dry-wall screws. The centerboard slot was precut, and the reinforcing logs on each side helped maintain the correct curve in the bottom.

The stem, bulkheads and stern were carefully aligned and epoxied in place. The boat is built of marine plywood using the “tack and tape” method. Joints are epoxied together and reinforced with two strips of fiberglass tape. This gives a very strong joint with no screws to rust inside the wood over the years.

Some longitudinal bulkheads and the centerboard trunk added between the bulkheads gave more rigidity than the sheer clamps, where the deck joins the hull, were put on. The three wide planks of each side of the hull were attached, the deck laid and the cabin and coaming built. Ah! It’s a boat —not quite.

David and I had worked four months to get to this point. To speed things up I added Sr. Francisco Vásquez Ramírez, “Chico,” to the crew to help finish the seemingly endless details involved in making a sailboat sail.

We built the mast from a bent aluminum spinnaker pole salvaged from a larger yacht. After trimming it to the right length we sheathed it in a 3/4-inch layer of ash, a strong, light wood, to achieve the proper diameter and for added strength.

The myriad details, including fiberglassing the exterior of the hull, building a centerboard, the rudder, rigging and painting have taken longer then the basic construction of the boat.

The fittings of mild steel and brass were custom made by local craftsmen. They were curious about making pieces for a boat, but the items made were of good workmanship.

By launch date, I was very glad I chose to build my boat here in La Antigua instead of trying to supervise construction in a boat-building area like Atitlán or Puerto Barrios involving a long commute. The fine artisans of La Antigua can, very well, adapt their skills to build a sturdy, well-finished boat.