Guatemala English language Magazine
Authors Connie Newton and Fran Early. Angélica, a Mayan village widow with five young children, earns a living by making dolls from discarded textiles stuffed with straw and cornhusks. Facial features embroidered with brightly colored thread give the dolls personality and makes them popular at the market. Recently, though, the cost of medicine for a child with an infection has […]
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May is the MONTH OF MUSEUMS. There are many great museums throughout Guatemala. Here is a listing of some that you should definitely have on your “to visit” list. GUATEMALA CITY *Casa Mima – 8a av. 14-12, z. 1, Mon-Sat., 10am-5pm; tels: (office) 2253-6657 & 2232-6902, (museum) 2253-4020; beatrizquevedo@casamima.org, casamima.org Museo Arquidiocesano de Santiago de Guatemala – 7 av. 6-73, […]
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The Antigua International School has received accreditation through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ (NEASC) Commission on International Education (CIE). Founded in 1885, NEASC is the oldest regional accrediting association in the United States. It serves almost 2,000 public and independent schools, universities and colleges (think Harvard, Yale, M.I.T., etc.) as well as all public schools in the […]
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Winners by Popular Vote Winners by Editorial Decision A big thanks to all the participating photographers. The winners and a number of honorable mentions will be published in the June, 2016 issue of Revue. You can see all of the submissions of the June contest HERE — stay tuned for next month’s contest.
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The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya In 1839, rumors of baffling stone ruins buried within the unmapped jungles of Central America reached two of the world’s most intrepid travelers. Captivated by the reports, American diplomat John Lloyd Stephens and British artist Frederick Catherwood—each already celebrated for their […]
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When deciding where to live in Central America any doubt was erased when I arrived in La Antigua Guatemala. Though I’m not saying that discovering a fabulous restaurant in town that features a lot of vegan dishes was a deciding factor, but certainly Samsara played a role. With the slogan “a place to feed your body and mind,” Samsara has […]
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The University of San Carlos of Guatemala is one of the oldest universities in the Americas. Education has come a long way since higher education began in 1620 at the Colegio de Santo Tomas de Aquino, predecessor to San Carlos, which was officially founded in 1676. Women did not attend university in colonial times, and only some were accepted at […]
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Club Fotográfico de Guatemala: Capturing the Beauty of Guatemala for 59 Years In May of 1957, Ricardo Mata gathered a group of friends together to share their love of photography and founded the Club Fotográfico de Guatemala. Fifty-nine years later the club, for many, is considered a Guatemalan institution. From one generation to the next, long-time members and newcomers meet […]
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The firefighting capability of La Antigua Guatemala’s Fire Department has greatly improved with the recent gift of a hook-and-ladder truck from Coral Gables, Florida. Mayor Jim Cason of Coral Gables, an exclusive community just outside Miami, presented the 34-ton vehicle to Antigua Mayor Susana Ascencio and Fire Chief Rafael Arévalo during a ceremony on April 8 outside Antigua City Hall. […]
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The mountainous indigenous village of San Bernabé Vista Hermosa, near the municipality of Parramos, in the department of Chimaltenango, has been adopted — all 350 inhabitants… by Project Village. The brainchild of two former law partners from Denver, Colorado, Project Village began in 2006. The original thought was to coordinate and fund projects of other NGOs, each of which specialized in […]
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Intent on reaching the famous ruins, day visitors to Tikal might overlook nearby Flores, yet the island city has an allure of its own. The island and environs were the last stronghold of the Itzá-Maya and later served as a Spanish outpost. Both indigenous and colonial influences remain. The surrounding Lake Petén Itzá offers a blue backdrop for the island’s […]
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“One of Joel’s goals is to have an “inclusive” art therapy program open to all children regardless of their physical abilities.” From an early age it was evident that Joel Batz would lead a creative life. As a child, he watched his father enjoy his hobby of sketching figures and forms, including architectural drawings. Joel describes him as a dibujante […]
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Winners by Popular Vote Winners by Editorial Decision A big thanks to all the participating photographers. The winners and a number of honorable mentions will be published in the May, 2016 issue of Revue. You can see all of the submissions of the May contest HERE — stay tuned for next month’s contest.
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Though they contain seeds, squash is a vegetable belonging to the cucurbitaceae family native to the North American and Mesoamerican regions. Within the five domesticated species there are many varieties from the United States to Central America. In Guatemala, there are diversities that are still not known elsewhere. Pear-shaped, dark-green-skinned güisquil and its albino cousin, perulero, are some of the […]
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Technical director and curator Violeta Gutiérrez and a group of dedicated professionals at the Museo Ixchel del Traje Indigena have worked tirelessly setting up a new exhibit—Exposición cofradía: textura y color—which will open to the public on April 19. The Museo Ixchel is committed to protecting and preserving Guatemala’s heritage as embodied in the rich textile traditions of indigenous dress. […]
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Antigüeños are in for a special treat this month when the work of the very talented and spirited photographer Eny Roland Hernández will be featured in a solo exhibition at La Galeriá Mesón Panza Verde in La Antigua Guatemala. Even better is that our beloved Antigüeños are the subject matter of this playful and provocative new show titled Pueblo Chico, […]
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Herlinda can’t remember a time when her family wasn’t wearing traje. Traje, the traditional clothing worn by many indigenous Guatemalans, is a cultural cornerstone. Its brightly colored hues and intricately woven thread are commonplace in many areas of Guatemala, especially in the rural highlands around Lake Atitlán. While traje’s gorgeous colors and craftsmanship help it stand out in a crowd, […]
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Religious sculptures are a focal point for prayer and meditation. It is believed that when prayed to with the utmost religious fervor, the figure, or its essence, grants the believer a favor, request, or a miracle. Guatemala created its own extremely expressive style through talented Guatemalan-born artists resulting in the finest Spanish-American sculpture, particularly between 1650 and 1773. These works […]
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The Women’s Justice Initiative (WJI), which empowers Guatemalan women to address inequality and gender violence, has won a highly competitive grant from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. “The award will support WJI’s work to ensure Maya women and girls are able to exercise their rights to live free from violence and have increased access to […]
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Stay current with the when-and-where during Semana Santa. The major Antigua procession routes of 2016 are available at this link (click here). Use the check boxes on the map menu for which procession you would like to follow. Currently available, the processions of: Jesús Nazareno del Perdón y Santísima Virgen de Dolores. San Francisco Church Grande. Holy Thursday / Jueves […]
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During the Holy Week alfombras (carpets) are created on the streets of the procession routes. It is a long-standing tradition and the variety and artistic beauty must be seen to be truly appreciated. This series by photographer Katrin Neuhaus shows, from beginning to end, the approximately 10-hour life cycle of one of these creations of devotion. See the entire slide […]
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Lenten season is also an opportunity to explore foods outside the normal realm of traditional choices. Cooking or eating out during season of Lent does not have to be difficult, it just takes a bit of awareness and creativity. Every year many Christians observe special diets during 40 days. As I listened to the priest’s sermon one recent morning at […]
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Winners by Popular Vote Winners by Editorial Decision A big thanks to all the participating photographers. The winners and a number of honorable mentions will be published in the April, 2016 issue of Revue. You can see all of the submissions of the April Photo Contest here — and for next month… stay tuned
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Holy week at Lake Atitlán is a blending of Mayan and Christian Tradition. Living in La Antigua Guatemala affords me the opportunity of being right in the heart of one of the grandest celebrations of Lent (Cuaresma) in all of Latin America—Semana Santa! Last year, I even had the good fortune of experiencing some of the Holy Week festivities on […]
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With a special collection of antique Indian furnishings and architectural accessories, the decor boutique Ritual works with clients locally and internationally to find the perfect piece of history to complement their design project. It could be a gate from a palace in the desert, a stone portal from a village on the spice route, or a ceremonial necklace from the […]
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5th Sunday of Lent. March 13, leaves at 6am, returns at midnight. Passes Antigua’s Central Park at 4:30pm. For the online mobile interactive 2016 PROCESSION ROUTE click here. A day of pageantry and devotion. I remember waking at the stroke of 6 last year on the fifth Sunday of Lent in San Bartolo, a charming suburb of La Antigua Guatemala where I was […]
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Last year, it was estimated that 1.2 million visitors were in La Antigua for Lenten and Holy Week. When the Spanish conquerors arrived in Guatemala from Mexico in 1524, they brought with them the religious traditions from Seville, Spain. Little did they imagine that in the 21st century these celebrations would become the largest in the world. “Historical references to […]
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“At his home in Panajachel in 1959 I saw for the first time the unbelievable collection of 34 watercolors thematically titled Trajes de Guatemala.” Home was elusive for Frederick Siddaartha Crocker, native of West Virginia, son of an itinerant Pittsburgh wildcatter, scion of 19th century Oriental spiritualists, ensign whose ship the USS Terror was hit by a kamikaze. “Pat,” as […]
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As told to Winifred Veronda. Ed Shook approaches the reader of Incidents in the Life of a Maya Archaeologist “with outstretched arms and a toothy grin” and welcomes the unsuspecting into a life that, as he tells Winifred Veronda, didn’t progress from point A to point B but zigzagged from a night school engineering class to six decades as a […]
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“The reason why the February eruptions seemed stronger was basically wind direction blowing from west to northeast,” says volcanologist Gustavo Chigna at INSIVUMEH. “Each volcano is an independent machine—nay, each vent and monticule is for the time being engaged in its own peculiar business, cooking as it were its special dish, which in due time is to be separately served.” This […]
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