Revue Magazine

We position our thoughts around three points—the past, the future and the present, which is tightly squeezed in between. A quirk of ours is to orbit around the past. Living in the past, we rehash, recreate and regret. Although the past makes us sad or even mad, it’s often preferable to the future, which usually [...]

We were given two hands to hold, two legs to walk, two eyes to see—but why only one heart, some ask? Romantics like to believe it’s because the second heart was given to someone else for us to find. This creates warm, fuzzy feelings of optimism. The search for the “other” is fueled by Hollywood, [...]

by Sue Patterson and Laurel White
Last May, Emma, a 35-year-old mother of nine, passed away from cervical cancer, now considered a sexually-transmitted disease. Her premature death was a terrible and preventable tragedy. After hearing a radio announcement about a WINGS-sponsored screening in Chimaltenango, she came for her first such screening two years ago, but the [...]

Space isn’t a concept our minds can easily wrap itself around. It’s not tangible, nor can it be perceived by any of the senses. The ego, which thrives on control, is gripped by fear at the notion of boundless regions of the infinite!
This empty space—what is it? Space is to growth what air is to [...]

The word “home” is strong, magical and filled with the power to invoke deep sensations. It’s an English word which is virtually impossible to translate into other tongues. No translation catches the associations, the mixture of memory and longing, the sense of security and the freedom from wariness that cling to the word.
There’s no [...]

Most of us would take great offense if someone were to suggest that we’re not the master of our life. Reality can be harsh. If we look it squarely in the face, we’d probably see that we’re far from being the master! Who is the master then?
It should come as no surprise that [...]

Movement is intrinsic to the cosmos. Every point in the entire universe is in motion.
The Earth and planets continually revolve around each other, and the galaxy’s stars are constantly circling its center. We can see the rhythm of movement everywhere. Seasons pass into each other, seedlings sprout through soil, days turn into nights and beginnings [...]

Part III: University of San Carlos Medical School
By the end of the 17th century, six hospitals had been founded in Guatemala. But, lacking scientific information and methods, hospitals provided little more than refuge or asylum. Sickness and cultural attitudes toward it were a social problem. In addition, the times were characterized by conflict between [...]

As children we stuck fingers in our ears whenever our mothers and grannies expounded on the virtues of disappointments in life—dark clouds lined with silver … doors closing and opening … light a candle instead of complaining about the darkness. Even as adults we turn a deaf ear to such platitudes. When life doesn’t deal [...]

The latest medical advances in Spain were slow to reach Guatemala which saw its first autopsy in 1622. Hospitals were simple asylums for the sick, consoled by religion.

Age is a taboo like religion, sex and money. Next time you’re at a fiesta try asking people, “Do you believe in God? Do you have good sex? How much money do you earn? And, by the way, how old are you?” Unless you ask someone under 10 years old, you’ll probably find yourself alone [...]

written by Joy Houston photos: Jack Houston
Part I: 16th Century
What medical options were available centuries ago in Guatemala for wounds from enemy arrows, burns, natural disasters or epidemics?
Mixing medicine with magic was routine in colonial days. “Medical science was slave to theory and superstition,” writes Carlos Martínez Durán in Las [...]

We are surrounded by time from the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we turn off the light at night. Time is a precious resource, like money, love and good feelings—the more we grasp at it, the more elusive it becomes. Time is a continuum measured by events kicked off with birth [...]