Guatemala English language Magazine
Burning the Devil is an amazing celebration in La Antigua Guatemala that takes place every year on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. This tradition, over the years, involved burning paper trash – and a lot of firecrackers – in front of each house to scare away the evil spirits, “clean” the air and prepare for the Dec. 8 celebration of […]
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While composing Messiah, Handel is said to have remarked, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me and the great God Himself.” Whether by divine inspiration or unbridled passion, George Frideric Handel crafted Messiah, his greatest oratorio, in a mere three to four weeks between August and September in 1741. “He would literally write from morning to night,” […]
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In the Highlands of Guatemala, one Maya Community is taking back its Cultural Identity. Innovative educational programs help the indigenous Poq’omchi’ of San Cristóbal Verapaz regain their voice after decades of oppression. On a sultry afternoon in late June, dozens of men, women and children pour enthusiastically into the “Salon Esperanza” at a high school in San Cristóbal, a predominantly Poq’omchi’-speaking, […]
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Independence Day in Guatemala is on September 15. On Sept. 14, Guatemalan runners from across the country ready themselves for the passing of the torch, known as the “Antorcha de la Independencia.” Year after year, the torch travels throughout Central America as a representation of the freedom and independence of the Central American peoples. In Guatemala, bystanders wave, whistle and […]
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Mendel Samayoa, an avid free-wheeling motorcyclist, holds a degree in architecture from the Universidad de San Carlos, and his artistic passions embrace film, theater and painting. His cinema credits include “Donde Acaban los Caminos,” “Looking for Palladin” (shot in La Antigua Guatemala), “La Vaca,” and the award-winning short films “Sweet Dalila” and “La Paciente.” Samayoa has undertaken impressive theatrical productions […]
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The Good Reads review describes “Center of the World” as “New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Sheehan’s evocative and emotionally compelling novel, a mother and her adopted daughter each embark on a journey of self-discovery in the wake of a stunning revelation.” “Sheehan’s writing is lively and vivid and her feel for historical detail is fine.” — The New York […]
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The struggle continues over who can claim ownership of the colors, threads and shapes of indigenous weavings. “The women no longer knew how to weave,” recalled Angelina Aspuac, a 40-year-old community activist from Santiago, Sacatépequez. In the Mayan community, where the huipil and corte have been integral elements of culture, the observed loss of weaving became a call to arms. […]
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Indigenous women are fighting back to receive recognition of their textiles’ artistic value and a fair market share in the sales. A cloth huipil, open like a book, lay on Natalia and Flavio Otzin’s wooden table, sunshine bouncing off its bright red, purple and blue designs. Otzin swept her hand across the shapes as she explained each one, reading the […]
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AFEDES is fighting through the Guatemalan constitutional courts to have Mayan cloth recognized as intellectual property of the Maya people and receive fair market compensation. For indigenous Maya women in Guatemala the clothes on their backs are sacred texts of their way of life. They tell a story of spirit and war, the heritage of an ancient people invaded by […]
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The Museo Ixchel del Traje Indígena (Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Costumes) celebrates the Month of Museums. When you think of Guatemala, one of the first things that comes to mind is color—and what better represents its colors than the rich textile traditions of this country? Visitors often ask me: “Do you know where I can find those beautiful textiles I […]
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Nan Cuz – A Journey to the Uncharted Depths of a Soul A tribute exhibition honoring the work of Nan Cuz “Magic and Emotions” will be open through June 16. She sits alone now, in her garden, watching the birds come and go, listening to the gentle clacking of the giant bamboo, this tiny little woman. She looks up as […]
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CLICK HERE for Procession Route Maps of 5 major Semana Santa (Holy Week) events. Check the legend and pick the route you would like to see. (Mobile device friendly) April 9 Palm Sunday: Procession of Jesús Nazereno (La Reseña), from La Merced Church. Palm Sunday / Domingo de Ramos Leaves at 11am — Returns at 11pm Passes La Antigua Central […]
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Lent and Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala are full of century-old traditions. The first processions were held when the Spanish arrived in Guatemala in the 1520s and became very popular throughout the city’s history. When all of the processional sculptures were moved to Guatemala City in 1773 with the capital’s inhabitants, Antigua was able to bring “new” century- old […]
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This year The Procession of Jesús Nazareno de la Dulce Mirada de Santa Ana will occur on Sunday, March 31. Despite thousands of visitors from around the world who descend upon La Antigua Guatemala for Lent or Cuaresma each year, I don’t think I will ever tire of its pageantry or elaborate celebrations. To be sure, the crowds during Semana Santa […]
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Century-old hermandades using social media to increase carrier participation. Lent is here with Ash Wednesday celebrated on March 1. All of the Lenten activities are designed and organized by hermandades. Traditionally, men and boys are in their grandfather’s hermandad and women and girls in their grandmothers’ hermandad. With processions in many of the surrounding areas and all of the active […]
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Another generation creating centuries-old Christmas traditions in La Antigua by crafting ceramic art. The Rodenas family has been well known in La Antigua Guatemala for centuries for making ceramics. Don Francisco Rodenas made loza (ceramic dishes) and added an innovation at that time as he began to make miniature items, including toy figures that were then painted and became popular […]
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Los Nawales: The Ancient Ones Merchants, Wives and Lovers: The Creation Story of Maximón by Vincent Stanzione Storytelling is a traditional art form that has existed since the beginning of time. All societies pass down stories from one generation to the next using various mediums, including folktales, myths, rituals and artifacts. Stories illuminate the essential nature of a culture, how […]
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A Contemporary Urban Experience combining theater, art and dining, comes to El Sitio in La Antigua Guatemala the weekends of Feb. 17-19 and Feb. 24-26. This ambitious undertaking, conceived by Gavin Kern and presented by the Antigua Theater Club and Angeline Events, pairs a performance of the comedy Bakersfield Mist with contemporary art in temporary, pop-up venues. “I hope that […]
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The ancient Maya dance drama, the Rabinal Achí, is one of the best examples of surviving pre Columbian culture in Mesoamerica. Place of the Lord’s Daughter It was a beautiful Sunday morning in late January when I set out from Guatemala City with an adventurous group of friends for the remote Mayan town of Rabinal in Baja Verapaz. One of […]
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On the eve of celebrating Central America’s independence from Spain, and six years before its 200th anniversary, a Guatemalan remembers José Cecilio del Valle, his long-forgotten great-great-great grandfather, a key player in the region’s independence and one of the great thinkers of his time. (1780-1834) Mexico and Central America became independent from Spain on Sept. 15, 1821, but it would take […]
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A Rare and Exquisite National Symbol Everyone loves orchids! Originating 60 million years ago in the temperate zones of Asia and the Americas, orchids have the widest range of flowers and color of any plant family. Guatemala is home to one of the largest varieties of orchids in the world with hundreds of species growing throughout the country. With independence […]
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Haute couture designers boast of their Fashion Weeks held in many great cities. Designers, buyers, journalists gather for each city’s displays, especially crowded at the Big Four shows in Paris, London, Milan, New York. Starting with department show fashion walks a century ago, growing in mid-century to global fashion events eight times a year, Fashion Weeks are vitally important for […]
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Cooperative Keiji Chiij is teaching others to conserve Guatemala’s cultural textile traditions of growing cotton, natural dyes and weaving. If you are looking for quality handwoven goods that support local weavers, preserve Mayan tradition and are environmentally sustainable, San Juan La Laguna, with its numerous shops boasting natural dyes and superb local woven cotton products, offers an array of unique merchandise. […]
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With the recent “discovery” of the “El Libro Segundo del Cabildo (1530-1541) de Santiago de Guatemala,” historians lit up with enthusiasm! Guatemala’s historians continue to rewrite the past. With many libraries and collections now available in digital form, we not only have access to more information but word has it that the archbishop of Guatemala has made the church’s archives […]
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A visit to a traditional Maya Huesero. One evening I was walking down a familiar shortcut in San Pedro La Laguna. I hadn’t bothered to turn on my cellphone light. The tip of my sandal caught on a rock and I fell sideways, landing on a chunk of concrete, my hands clenched beneath my right ribs. Breathing was painful, all […]
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Jessica Waters Gordon has exhibited her work in Sydney, Australia at Tap Gallery, Blank Space Gallery and Global Gallery; her murals are on display as well in Australia and Mexico; and other works were featured in a collective travelling exhibition in Mexico campaigning for non-genetically modified corn. In the last five years, Gordon has been working consistently with two contrasting […]
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The works include three phases: restoration of the side and back facades; new exterior lighting and fumigating/waterproofing the roofs; and new sidewalks. A fabulous restoration project is currently underway on the centuries-old cathedral in Antigua! We are so excited, as this part of the 1680 building has not been restored possibly since the 1940s-50s. The “Patronato de Catedral de La […]
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Everyone is so excited about the new Central Park project with our new flowers, railings, garbage cans and renovated benches. The Comité de Ornato La Antigua is doing a wonderful job renewing our Parque Central! The history of the Plaza Mayor, known now as Central Park, goes back to the beginning of the city when the first city planners laid […]
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Recent photographs taken in two fascinating cities: Havana and Beijing. Inauguration of the exhibition, Wed. June 8 from 5-7pm at Galería Panza Verde, La Antigua I grew up in Guatemala during the country’s decades-long civil war and endured arduous years of repressive military dictatorships. Communism was a taboo subject. In particular, Cuba and Nicaragua were seldom discussed. And when they […]
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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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