Hotel Villa Santa Elena is located in the “green heart” of central Guatemala, department of Alta Verapaz. The hotel is new in 2009 and is the best choice for a comfortible stay while traveling north to Tikal/Coban or east to Rio Dulce/Livingston. We are only a few minutes from the beautiful (but secret) waterfalls, called Las [...] - 5 months ago

I have no idea what Umma Gumma means, but what I can tell you is that Umma Gumma has become one of the 3 most popular hostels in Antigua Guatemala and I my favorite. I’m a backpacker, so of course price is always important and Umma Gumma is only Q35/night when you stay in the dorms [...] - 14 months ago

The best part of living in a town for a while is that you end up discovering amazing places that for some reason you didn’t notice on quick trips, places that become part of the daily life of people, places you end up falling in love with. In this case in particular Im talking about ¨La [...] - 14 months ago

I have seen many people traveling with their kids in Guatemala, and I always wonder how much information there is about it to help them planning a family trip. My recent investigation on internet made me realize there is virtually no information regarding traveling with children in Guatemala. I don’t have kids myself, but considering a [...] - 15 months ago

Internet is the best tool we travelers have this days, and I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some of the websites I consider really important to know during a visit to Guatemala. This websites will not be only a great source of information, but in some cases will save [...] - 15 months ago

by Betsy Cerezo AnEcho is celebrating its first anniversary! La Antigua’s Educational Cultural Home Office is much more than a conventional community center. Because of Antigua’s international populous, AnEcho has been able to weave a multi-faceted program to include not just our retired and semi-retired foreign nationals, also our Antigüeño neighbors, tourists, Salvemos Antigua members, and [...]by Betsy Cerezo AnEcho is celebrating its first anniversary! La Antigua’s Educational Cultural Home Office is much more than a conventional community center. Because of Antigua’s international populous, AnEcho has been able to weave a multi-faceted program to include not just our retired and semi-retired foreign nationals, also our Antigüeño neighbors, tourists, Salvemos Antigua members, and even Guatemala City dwellers. In 2010 AnEcho will be continuing its weekly activities of tai chi and NIA, Al Anon meetings and bridge and tango classes. A “Brown Bag Lunch” weekly movie will be added with an open discussion afterward. We’ve planned workshops of jewelry making, writing your memoirs and relieving stress through art. We’re looking forward to art/history lectures, book review meetings, more discussion series and study groups, a “Yankee Swap,” and even Guatemala City excursions. We’re anxious for your feedback for other ideas and interests. And any and all leaders and facilitators, get on your soapbox! Our success this past year is due to our many participates in all our varied activities. We’ll be toasting to AnEcho’s continued success and to the Antigua community who have wholeheartedly joined in the fun. Thanks, everybody! The first anniversary celebration will be Wednesday, Dec. 9, 5-7 p.m. at AnEcho, Casa Convento Concepción, 4a calle oriente #41, tel: 7882-4600

An evening of piano music with Roman Rudnytsky Tuesday, December 8, 7:00 p.m. Teatro Dick Smith, IGA, ruta 1, 4-05, zone 4, Guatemala City Sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Admission free Roman Rudnytsky is an American concert pianist of Ukrainian background and a graduate of the world-renowned Juilliard School for music, dance, and drama, in New York. [...] An evening of piano music with Roman Rudnytsky Tuesday, December 8, 7:00 p.m. Teatro Dick Smith, IGA, ruta 1, 4-05, zone 4, Guatemala City Sponsored by the U.S. Embassy Admission free Roman Rudnytsky is an American concert pianist of Ukrainian background and a graduate of the world-renowned Juilliard School for music, dance, and drama, in New York. As of 2009, Rudnytsky has played in more than 90 countries. He is a prizewinner of 10 national and international piano competitions and has performed as soloist with many orchestras around the world. He has given concerts and master classes under the auspices of U.S. embassies in 35 countries over 25 years. Rudnytsky is a professor of music at the Dana School of Music of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio, and is the recipient of a “Distinguished Professor Award” from that institution.

The mission of Thirteen Threads is to empower organized groups of indigenous women to bring about changes, through their own efforts, that will alleviate the adverse effects of poverty and improve their quality of life.Over Five Years of Empowering Maya Women text and photo by Maya Moore Thirteen Threads (TT), a Maya women’s education and empowerment project based in Panajachel, Lake Atitlán, proudly completed its first five years of operations this year. What began as an 18-month pilot project designed to provide resources to 16 groups of artisans working with two fair-trade organizations, Mayan Hands and Maya Traditions, has turned into a valued organization in its own right. Today, TT serves over 400 Maya women from 21 rural Guatemalan communities.  The mission of Thirteen Threads is to empower organized groups of indigenous women to bring about changes, through their own efforts, that will alleviate the adverse effects of poverty and improve their quality of life. To this end, TT offers trainings and workshops in four focus areas: new and improved artisan skills; democracy and group organization; health and well-being; and small business skills, including micro-credit loans. Participants consistently express sincere appreciation for the skills and knowledge that TT has given them. Over the past year, TT has offered sewing classes, a soap-making workshop and rug-hooking training using recycled cortes and huipiles. TT’s three community facilitators continue to make monthly visits to each group. This year, the focus has been on group administration for self-sufficiency, including themes on division of responsibilities, management of funds and resolution of conflicts. TT, as an organization, is growing, as well. An ambitious proposal for the next three years has been developed, presenting a variety of innovative ideas for transitioning into a more democratic and sustainable operation. TT hopes to continue to inspire others and is thankful for all of the dedicated support that it has received for this ever-evolving project. Wish List Used laptops, projector, funds to make a film about the project. For more information on how to volunteer or donate, please visit the Thirteen Threads website, www.oxlajujbatz.org. You can also find the latest project updates on Facebook and Twitter.

All year he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on helpless mortals. But on Monday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. sharp, the devil gets his comeuppance, as he is tossed out of the house along with the trash and set ablaze in the Quema del Diablo (Burning the Devil), a tradition in many Guatemalan towns that literally sparks the beginning of the Christmas season. —Juan Carlos Ordóñez All year he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on helpless mortals. But on Monday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. sharp, the devil gets his comeuppance, as he is tossed out of the house along with the trash and set ablaze in the Quema del Diablo (Burning the Devil), a tradition in many Guatemalan towns that literally sparks the beginning of the Christmas season. —Juan Carlos Ordóñez Dec. 7 & 8: Celebrations honoring the Virgen de Concepción featuring elaborate celebrations in Ciudad Vieja with parades and processions, fireworks and folkloric dances and dramas. Traditional food for sale includes estofado and pepián, a traditional Mayan meat dish made with a spicy sauce of chile gaugue and pasa, cilantro, tomato, onion, toasted sesame and pepitoria seeds. The favorite dessert on this holiday is crab apples (manzanillas) prepared en dulce. See related article on page 29 and photo spreads on pages 72 and 76. Dec. 8 is also the official day for setting up nacimientos (nativity scenes) which is a strong family tradition in Guatemala that requires skill and a lot of patience. The scenes include Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus (who is covered up until the 25th), also shepherds, a mule, an ox, sheep and three late-arriving Wise Kings. The finishing touch, an aromatic chamomile ring, creates the wonderful scent of a typical Guatemalan nativity. Nativities will not be put away until Feb. 2 when the traditional Christmas season comes to an end. —Desireé de Ceballos and Karla Ceballos (Casa de Artes, La Antigua) See related article on page 18. On Dec. 12 the Virgen de Guadalupe is celebrated throughout the country. Many children dress in indigenous clothing and participate in parades and church blessings. One such procession begins at the La Merced Church in Antigua. Dec. 15 marks the beginning of nightly Posadas in a reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. Pilgrims accompany them, singing carols, beating turtle shell drums and playing other typical Guatemalan instruments. They knock on doors seeking shelter but are turned away until they reach the designated home where everyone is invited inside. As the holy couple is bedded down in solemn ceremony, the pilgrims scramble for refreshments. The journey continues to another house the next night, for a total of nine nights. On the 24th of December, Noche Buena/Christmas Eve, many are doing last minute Christmas shopping, visiting friends, catching buses bound for home. At 10pm the midnight Mass/Misa de Gallo) begins, celebrating the birth of Jesus. When the clock strikes midnight, Navidad / Christmas Day, Dec. 25) is celebrated with prayers, fireworks, good wishes, and traditional food is shared and enjoyed throughout the night. With the dawn comes time for rest, the day is quiet—with the exception of more fireworks and bombas at noon. The traditional Christmas Eve dinner is tamales and of course punch that includes papayas, pineapple, crab apples, prunes, raisins, cinnamon, cloves and shredded coconut, served hot or cold when friends or family come to call. Hot chocolate is another holiday treat, as are buñuelos, fried puff pastry fritters served with syrup of molasses or brown sugar, anise and cinnamon. Jan. 1: HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

The final article of a three-part series exploring El Pilar—a raw and wild reserve where the proprietors have a vision for developing it into a sustainable resource for valuable research and first-rate birdwatching. photos: Thor Janson Developing a Natural Sanctuary The final article of a three-part series exploring El Pilar—a raw and wild reserve where the proprietors have a vision for developing it into a sustainable resource for valuable research and first-rate birdwatching. “When you preserve a place with a natural ecosystem you preserve all the biodiversity that lives in there,” Juan Rivera asserts. Rivera is the manager of Finca El Pilar, a quiet natural retreat just 3.5 kilometers from La Antigua’s central park near San Cristóbal El Bajo. He says properly developing this wild haven into a tourist-friendly reserve is critical for enabling the invaluable research of a fragile and threatened ecosystem found within the grounds of the farm. “We have some remaining cloud forest on the top. A cloud forest is a mix of conditions. You have to have a certain altitude above sea level—generally it’s above 1,800 meters. You have to have an ocean relatively close, the mist from the ocean forms clouds that fill the forest. You also have to have specific wind patterns that guide the clouds into the forest.” Rivera estimates that about 30 percent of his farm constitutes a cloud forest and, without proper conservation, it could easily diminish to nothing. “For the last four years, we’ve had a fire every year. Two years ago we had some big fires in the upper part near the houses and it burned all the forest soil.” Rivera recalls that one fire was particularly devastating. “It burned maybe 20 percent of the cloud forest that was on the top of the mountain. And you know a cloud forest is very, very wet, so it was a big fire. … We have to be monitoring constantly. In the dry season we have a water tank with a big hose attached on the back in case we need to put out fires.” Fires aren’t the only threat. Global warming is another issue that Rivera says pressures the fragile environment. “Global warming is a threat because … as it becomes hotter, maybe by 10 degrees, the forest can only find colder temperatures if it goes up. But, it doesn’t have any way to go up because there is no more land. So it’s starts to die.” Research suggests that it takes between 500 and 600 years for a cloud forest to re-grow, and Rivera says “with the global warming that’s not going to happen.” Thus, the farm manager has just one option: “I can only preserve what I have left.” What’s left still proves to be quite much. El Pilar is believed to be the home of one of the most diverse bat populations around Antigua. Other wildlife includes grey fox, snakes, porcupines, skunks, opossums, raccoons, frogs, lizards and more. But what attracts Rivera most is the plentiful population of birds. More than 130 species can be spotted flitting throughout the farm’s treetops. “I want to build a place that is birdwatcher friendly. Maybe build a lodge farther up the mountain and a scientific station for visitors and students from around the world who are getting advanced degrees and want to come here to do research.” Yet, Rivera wants to keep the reserve as wild and natural as possible. “I want to make it very low-impact. We have a lot of potential with birdwatching tourism, the eco-system is very good. We can also make some trekking and mountain-biking.” Rivera says El Pilar has already hosted international birdwatching activities attracting enthusiasts as far away as Japan. Wildlife conservationists and well-known photographer, Thor Janson, agrees that the natural reserve at El Pilar offers a prime opportunity for the local community to better connect with and understand its surrounding natural habitat. “Apart from it being important to protect forests—all forests—everywhere, this particular forest being close to Antigua and being close to Guatemala City is a very fine place to get in touch with nature. It is part of the idea to have Boy Scout groups come out and camp here and things like that.” “We are still building some infrastructure. When it’s all done we will start marketing and promoting. The end of the year —this is my goal.” In the meantime, visitors are welcome to explore the wild reserve or take a dip in one of the farm’s three pools (Q10 p/p) that are filled with fresh-mountain spring water every day.