Guatemala English language Magazine
by Matt Bokor. #1. Your friends back home think you’re crazy, this will confirm it. #2. Way better selfie opps than the gym. #3. You think “scree” is a dirty word, and there’s a ton of it up there. #4. You’ve always wanted to roast a marshmallow over a thermal vent. #5. You packed hiking boots, you need to use […]
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FILM RELEASE by Matt Bokor. This film has already made history by becoming Guatemala’s first Academy Award submission (foreign language category). Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano attracts a steady stream of adventure seekers eager to climb its slopes, but the smoke-belching mountain plays a new role as the backdrop for the new, critically acclaimed film “Ixcanul Volcano.” The winner of prestigious film […]
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by Matt Bokor
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Hospital Ship provides assistance to thousands. by Matt Bokor. A hospital ship from the U.S. Navy brought free medical, veterinary, engineering and humanitarian help to thousands of Guatemalans during a recent nine-day deployment to Puerto Barrios. Personnel from the USNS Comfort provided dental, visual, pediatric and general medical services to more than 10,000 Guatemalans at two onshore medical sites in […]
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by Matt Bokor
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August is upon us, and with any heavenly luck, so is a dry spell in the otherwise rainy season. In her column this month, Antigua historian Elizabeth Bell explains the timing and origins of the canícula, as well as its ties to Sirius (the dog star) and the dog days of summer. Our featured article this month traces the footsteps […]
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A short ride from Quetzaltenango, Las Fuentes Georginas is a well worth a visit…
Read moreThe Mayan ruins of Quiriguá in Izabal and El Zotz in Petén, as well as the historic architecture of Belize City, have been included on the World Monuments Fund (WMF) 2012 Watch, a list of cultural heritage sites around the world at risk of damage or destruction from a variety of threats. With a mission of preserving the world’s architectural […]
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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 […]
Read moreLocated 13 kilometers southwest of the city of San Marcos in Guatemala’s Western Highlands, San Rafael Pie de la Cuesta sits amid forested mountains, coffee farms, rivers and waterfalls. A community of 27,000 residents, San Rafael is especially thriving this month with its annual fair Oct. 13-24. The festivities—music, processions, dance, food and more—peak on Oct. 24, the feast day […]
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This month is doubly patriotic Brace for a double dose of patriotic fervor this month in Guatemala. In addition to the Sept. 11 national elections (see page 54), Guatemala celebrates its 190th Independence Day on Sept. 15 with ear-shattering fireworks, resounding drumbeats from marching bands, festive concerts and more. Guatemala is hardly alone in its jubilation this day—also celebrating their […]
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Volcanic offshoot beckons trekkers to the Highlands A mere infant in geologic time, the Santiaguito lava dome is a steam- spewing, smoke-belching spectacle just outside Quetzaltenango in Guatemala’s Western Highlands. Rising more than 8,000 feet above sea level, Santiaguito (Little St. James) is one of the world’s most active lava-dome com- plexes, consisting of several jagged peaks that […]
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U.S. authorities recently arrested one of their most-wanted fugitives in California–an alleged mobster-murderer from Boston who had been in hiding or on the run for 16 years. For two businessmen in La Antigua Guatemala, the June 22 arrest of James “Whitey” Bulger, 81, dashed hopes of ever claiming a million-dollar reward (later upped to $2 million) to turn […]
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Like thousands of his New Orleans neighbors, blues piano player and singer Nelson Lunding was uprooted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “There was eight feet of water in the street, three feet of water in the house, cars were underwater…my neighborhood didn’t exist,” Lunding recalls. “People became insane, angry, heartbroken—including myself.” After more than a decade of performing in New […]
Read moreTrain-like tour hits Highland highlights With so many cultural, culinary and spiritual destinations in and around Quetzaltenango, visitors can enjoy a leisurely sampling of the area’s most interesting attractions simply by boarding a street-wise locomotive. Suited to travelers’ time-challenged schedules, Tranvia de los Altos shuttles visitors to significant sites in Guatemala’s second-largest city (commonly known as Xela, from the Mayan […]
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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 […]
Read moreInnovative program rescues kids, prepares them for success A shoeshine boy until last fall, Gregorio wants to be a doctor when he grows up. Thanks to an unlikely encounter on the streets of Guatemala City, he actually has a chance. “I was going to school in the morning but working, shining shoes, in the afternoons. I met a man whose […]
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Finishing two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Totonicopán, Samra Brouk summarized her experience in three words: “challenging, surprising, satisfying.” “It was probably the two hardest years of my life but at no point did I think there was anyplace else I should be,” said Brouk, 24, a native of Rochester, N.Y., who plans to go to law school […]
Read moreThe carpets, floats and sorrowful dirges of Semana Santa carry centuries-old tradition reserved for the holiest period of the Catholic calendar. But, in Guatemala during this special season, you’re also likely to encounter sights and sounds that are common year-round. Before you panic thinking there’s a shootout down the street or a UFO hovering nearby, here’s a brief rundown of […]
Read moreLegendary liquid spreads to La Antigua A drink of legend and mystique, absinthe is making a global comeback that’s also reached Guatemala. Said to be the spirit that induced Van Gogh to lop off his ear and perhaps tainted the captain of the Titanic, absinthe was concocted in the 1790s by a French doctor living in Switzerland and promoted as […]
Read moreHundreds of Peace Corps volunteers serving in Guatemala joined U.S. Ambassador Stephen G. McFarland and guests recently to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the global service organization. Nearly 500 volunteers, members of host families, Peace Corps staff and special guests gathered at the ambassador’s residence in Guatemala City on Friday, March 25, for the occasion, which included the swearing in […]
Read moreDespite scares, pet tortoise enjoys a pampered life He survived a murder attempt in the United States and death threats in Honduras. He touched off a brief crisis at the Mexican border and was the object of a frantic search in La Antigua Guatemala. Yet as durable as the patterned shell he calls home, Jamal perseveres. “Slow and steady wins […]
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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 on March 17 brought 150 guests to Mesón Panza Verde in La Antigua, where they […]
Read moreWith transatlantic support, new school opens in Jocotenango Built with an outpouring of support from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, a modern new school recently opened in Jocotenango for over 500 children, many of whom might not get an education otherwise. The spacious Escuela Proyecto La Esperanza has 20 classrooms, a computer lab, an audio-visual room, library, kitchen, psychology […]
Read moreAs more U.S. residents are going abroad for medical treatment, an Antigua company guides medical tourists to doctors in Guatemala Frustrated with the rising costs and maddening bureaucracy of the U.S. medical system, more patients are looking overseas to get treatment of the same or better quality at a fraction of the cost. This year, well over 1 million North […]
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‘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 […]
Read moreAfter living in La Antigua in 2002-03 and moving back recently, I’ve noticed a lot of changes, from striking to subtle. In no particular order, they include: • New landscaping along much of the highway from Guatemala City to Antigua. Medians and shoulders sprout colorful groundcover, lilies and shrubs. Nice. • Traffic cops at busy intersections in Antigua, adding an […]
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February is one of my favorite months—not because of Valentine’s Day. I love February because it means January is over. And except for New Year’s Day, I hate January. Everyone who coasted since Thanksgiving is enthusiastically sending e-mails with ideas, projects and goals for the New Year. To which I ask: What have you been drinking? If it’s a toad-juice […]
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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, […]
Read moreReilly’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 since we opened in December […]
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