Guatemala English language Magazine
Climatic variability is the main factor responsible for the varied and often-frustrating coffee yields around the world. Temperature and rainfall are considered the most important weather factors affecting the harvest. Generally speaking, a great degree of uncertainty still exists regarding how each producing region will be affected, and how it will impact overall coffee worldwide. However, experts expect some changes […]
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written by Marcelle Renkin photo: Jane Mintz Fundación Tradiciones Mayas (FTM), based in Panajachel, Lake Atitlán was founded by American social worker Jane Mintz after more than 10 years of fair trade with women’s weaving groups in rural highland communities. FTM’s United States counterpart, Maya Traditions, is a long-standing member of the U.S. Fair Trade Federation and represents the women’s […]
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Don’t be insulted if someone tells you to “go fly a kite” this month. As the cover photo by César Tián demonstrates, kite flying is a serious subject for celebrants of the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). In her article on page 14, Ana Flinder explains: “Celebrated in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints Day on November 1 and All Soul’s Day on November 2, this holiday is especially important in Latin America. While Mexico is best known for its Día de los Muertos celebrations, which include pageantry, processions and public display of altars to the dead, in Guatemala it is more often celebrated as a family holiday, and usually called Día de los Difuntos.”
Read moreThe swirling mist dusts Volcán San Pedro in a muted dove gray, catching dawn’s sunrays and washing it in an ethereal glow. The steely-mirrored waters of Lake Atitlán are quiet, rippled only by the wake of a distant boat that slides across its surface. The air is still, cool and refreshing. This awe-inspiring view is the reason that Lake Atitlán is undisputedly one of the world’s most beautiful lakes. It is here, in the moment and in the quiet that one can touch the magnificence of God’s creation.
Read moretext and photos by Anthony Brindisi At 133 meters, the majestic Salto de Chilascó is Central America’s tallest waterfall Guatemala is a country brimming with cultural diversity and natural beauty. It is proudly referred to as “The Soul of the Earth,” and every year between one and two million tourists flock to this multicultural, remarkably topographic, fascinatingly biodiverse land to […]
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Guatemala’s Independence Day Celebrations Photo Gallery
Read moretext, photos and recipe by Victoria Stone Güisquil (pronounced “weeskeel”) is one of the most common vegetables throughout Mexico, Central America and parts of South America. It has been famously described as a vegetable that looks like an avocado and tastes like a potato. The plant originated in Mexico, where it was known to the Aztecs as chayolt. It is […]
Read moreby Judith Cohen An expert’s view on how honey and bees are faring in Guatemala Alejandro Nicol is an expert in the honey business. After studying beekeeping for two years at Ohio State University, he now advises the Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación (MAGA) on the care, feeding, export, import and preservation of bees. I met him at the […]
Read moreMore than just a beverage sweetener with Alma Díaz photos: César Tián There is nothing like music to get your spirit soaring and your appetite pumping, and this is exactly what happened when Splenda™, the no-calorie sweetener, invited close to 50 guests to prepare sugar-free recipes at La Cocina del Chef Javier in Guatemala City. The crowd had a lot […]
Read moreClick this Link… http://revuemag.com/go/FirstMapGuatemala/ The Lienzo de Quauhquechollan is considered to be the first map of Guatemala. It is also the only firsthand indigenous account of the conquest of Guatemala and one of the few sources to record the military campaigns of Jorge de Alvarado in 1527–1530. The Lienzo was a forgotten relic that had not yet been deciphered when […]
Read moretext and photos by Gary Kaney Women from more than 90 communities competed last month in the single-most impressive festival of indigenous tradition in Guatemala: the Folkloric Festival of the Rabin Ajau in Cobán and the election of the Princess Tesulutlán. Contestants wore their colorful native finest, including the colorful hüipil, head dress and jewelry unique to their village—but it […]
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text and photo by Melba Milak Not so long ago, on a warm and sunny afternoon, I came across a parade of porpoises in the Pacific Ocean. They raced by our fishing boat in a display of grace and speed. They leaped over one another in their version of leapfrog; they jumped straight up into the air and spun in […]
Read moreEl Salvador’s coffee sector has begun implementing an initiative called “Coffee and Environment” in an effort to conserve the El Salvador coffee forest and the environmental and social-economic benefits that it generates. The plan includes a compensation plan for environmental services, particularly from carbon-dioxide reduction. At a social and economic level, the conservation of coffee forest provides the country with […]
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Groups of school-aged drummers practicing daily in the streets alert us that Independence Day is soon upon us and a celebration is in order. Although September 15 is the specific holiday, throughout the month there will be parades, concerts, fireworks, torch-wielding marathon runners and general flag-waving fun.
September also brings the month-long FOTO▶30 Festival. This series of over 30 exhibitions and workshops spotlights photography with events country-wide.
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Coral Gables welcomes delegation from its Sister City, La Antigua for cultural exchange and opportunity to expand business relationships
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A collective music project, featuring the diverse songs, sounds and melodies of La Antigua Guatemala, began recently through a serendipitous meeting of one of La Antigua’s much-loved musicians and an Australian engineer. Antonio Jueves, who recently returned to La Antigua from a year of festivals and tours in Europe, and Corrina Grace, who recently moved to La Antigua to start […]
Read moreThe caffeine content case The amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee can vary greatly, depending on many factors. We’ll explore a few ideas that will help you to understand a little more about the presence of caffeine in coffee. If you ask 10 people, most will agree that espresso has more caffeine than regular drip coffee. But are […]
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PROGRESA is a Quaker-run scholarship/loan program that has been in existence for over 35 years. Jointly sponsored by the Guatemala Friends meeting and a Friends meeting in California, the program helps Guatemalans attend universities and secondary schools. Our focus is on the rural poor who often don’t have access to higher education in their communities. Our office is in Parramos, […]
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Kilómetro Cero (Kilometer Zero) is located at the National Palace in the Historical Center of Guatemala City’s Zone 1. From there the distances on all roads in the country are measured. The National Palace is located on the Plaza Mayor, and when you turn the next page writer Michael Sherer will take us on a fun sightseeing tour of this beautiful area.
Our thanks once again to the talented photographer Iván Castro for this month’s cover of the National Palace. August 15th is Guatemala City’s patron saint day. All month the city will be celebrating in honor of the Virgen de la Asunción, including many events in the historic center.
Read moreNiños de Guatemala is a nonprofit organization that provides education to Ciudad Vieja’s poorest children to develop themselves and improve their life quality and their community’s. NDG’s strength is in the combined support from both international and local people.
Read moreA late bloomer of Latin America written by David Jickling Among Latin American capitals, Guatemala City is a later comer. Most of the major cities of Spanish America were founded in the 16th century, within a hundred years after the arrival of the Spanish. In contrast, Guatemala City was established at the end of the 18th century after the destruction […]
Read moreD’Buk es una editorial conformada por un grupo de empresarios jóvenes especializados en áreas como la fotografía, productos de consumo, marketing, publicidad y promociones. La editorial está conformada por José Luis Samayoa, Otto Wolff y un staff de profesionales de la industria editorial. El libro “Nostalgia Guatemalteca” es el proyecto más reciente de la editorial. Consiste en un exhaustivo trabajo […]
Read moretext/photos by Melba Milak The city of La Antigua Guatemala is laid out in a simple grid: seven avenues running north and south and 10 streets going east and west. In the center of town is a park (Plaza Mayor), the heart and soul of the whole area. The atmosphere in the park is carefree and carnival-like. When visiting Antigua, […]
Read moreSince the devastating mudslides of 2005, a small hospital in Santiago Atitlán has been struggling to serve the community. In the four years since Hospitalito Atitlán opened, it has filled a great need with a 24-hour emergency room, X-ray, lab and clinics. The hospital board has been hard at work to build a new, permanent hospital, which is slowly taking […]
Read moreThis year’s El Salvador Cup of Excellence auction broke price records — and touched hearts with a humanitarian gesture. The auction, which took place last month, ended with the surprising announcement that the buyers from one of the 33 winning lots were donating the projected profits to Ricardo Espitia, Executive Director of the Salvadoran Coffee Council who had suffered a […]
Read moreOne out of 10 rural Guatemalans suffers from a physical condition or disability that can be surgically cured. However, only 11 percent of Guatemalans have access to surgical care. Maya Indian populations face daunting barriers to treatment, including fear of hospitals and lack of information, Spanish language skills and financial resources.
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Concerts, art shows, fashion shows, conferences, lectures, slide shows, dance recitals, stage plays, circus acts, folk dancing, films, workshops, local bands, tours … if you can’t find something fun to do in July, it certainly isn’t our fault for not telling you about it. DateBook starts on page 24 waiting to be used.
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text and photos by Ira Lewis Woodcarving in Guatemala Guatemala is fortunate to have a long, rich history of artisan/artists working in many media going back to pre-Colonial times. Most of the ancient sculpted art is seen as carved stone. However, some of the less-durable carvings in wood from this era still survive. We are fortunate that in this plastic, […]
Read morewritten by Brent Holmes photos: Winston Scott Festival of the Patron Saint San Antonio Senahú, Alta Verapaz Pretty wild stuff it was that December night of fireballs at the festival of the Patron Saint San Antonio, Senahú. The game is kind of like “dodge ball” except the balls are on fire, like a couple of street gangs facing off, throwing […]
Read morewritten by Ana Lucrecia de MacVean Plantas de los Bosques Montanos Guatemala Ana Lucrecia de MacVean is a botanist, teacher and curator of the Herbarium UVAL, Institute of Research at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. She has been collecting, identifying and studying plants in Guatemala for more than 15 years, and in doing so developed a geo-referencing and digitizing […]
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