SEPTEMBER 2022 revuemag.com Year 31 No. 7 Guatemala’s English-language Magazine
La InteractiveAntiguaMap PHOTO CONTEST Theme for Sept., 2022 “Pets in Guatemala” click for details On the Cover 1st Place Judges Vote “Maya Kaqchikel, singersongwriter, Sara Curruchich” Palacio De Los Capitanes, Antigua by Kerstin Sabene For Business andInformation,Listings,MapsEventsCalendar fb.com/revuemagazineRevueMag.com Guatemala’s English-language Ezine Previous Revue articles and Photo Contests RevueMag.com Adve R tise R i N de X places to go, things to do and fun to be had Restaurants - Hotels Shopping - Services Real Estate - Travel FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERACTIVE REVUE tel: consultas@revuemag.com5031-0859 From the Publishers CLICK TO Buy fresh-baked bread Get your car repaired Relax at the Lake Find some great restaurants t H is MON t H i N R ev U e
G UAte MALA iN de P e N
September 15 is the day that Guatemala commemorates its definitive separation from Spain, in 1821. During that time, all the Central Ameri can provinces were a single nation, but the population was tired of paying tributes and taxes to the crown and the independence movement began. ...page 36
AMALiA’s KitCHeN by Joy Houston / photos by Jack Houston by Chef Amalia Moreno-Damgaard
NC e Ce
THE “EL MERCADO” EXPERIENCE de L eb RAti ON s by Hadazul Cruz / photos by Mercedes Mejicanos
Food aficionados and cooks know that visiting a mercado is like taking a kid to a candy store, and not until you have been to a Guatemalan mercado do you realize that there are more than fruits and vegetables there. ...page 54
CONveNt OF LA CONCePCiÓN
Life in a convent in colonial America was not about seclusion or vows of pov erty. The nuns could live in the luxury they could afford, in private quarters with plenty of servants. They could manage their money, even conduct business, and receive visitors according to their social status. ...page 62
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10 Restaurant Cerro San Cristobal, La Antigua video courtesy of Mexcal-Rhet Filadelfia Coffee Tour in Antigua
September brings us Guatemala’s Independence Celebrations. September 15 is the day that Guatema la commemorates its definitive separation from Spain, in 1821. Be sure to catch the pageantry of the parades. Also in our pages this month, a chapter from Joy Houston’s Antigua Monuments series, Convent of La Concepción. Life in a convent in colonial America was not about seclusion or vows of poverty. And throughout there are some great photographs and a visit to Guatemala’s incredible Mercados. Thanks for reading and ¡Viva Guatemala!
Publishers/editors John & Terry Kovick Biskovich Photography Luis Toribio, César Tián Graphic designer Hadazul Cruz Contributing Writer Mark D. Walker Webmaster/social Media JB systems Luis Juárez, Luis Toribio Publishing Company San Joaquin Producciones, S.A.
—Terry & John Kovick Biskovich
revue team from the publishers
“Jazz by the Cathedral”, Guatemala City by Henry Cukier
“Sonidos de nuestro pueblo” Santo Domingo Xenacoj by Angel Melga
1st Place Poplular Vote “Tzutu Kan - Mayan Hip Hop Master” Sublime, San Pedro la Laguna by Claire McGee
“Música de ángeles” La Antigua by Francisco Hernández
3rd Place Popular Vote "Sonidos Nativos" Chichicastenango, Quiché by José Arturo Sic
3rd Place Judges Vote “untitled” by Warren Capps
2nd Place Judges Vote "Al ritmo de la Marimba" Santo Tomás Chichicastenango by José Miguel Hosttas V.
“Sinfónica Juvenil” Ciudad de Guatemala by Héctor Salaverría
“Nuestra marimba” Restaurante en Tecpán by Luis A. Soto S.
2nd Place "El Bambi" Antigua by Alejandrina Zapet
“Maestro y Aprendiz / Master & Apprentice” Pianissimo Academy of Arts, Guatemala City by Alejandro González
by
“Do, re, mi, fa, sol” Jaime B. Montalvo
Guatemala
During that time, all the Cen tral American provinces were a single nation, but the population was tired of paying tributes and taxes to the crown and the independence movement began by Hadazul Cruz photos by Mercedes Mejicanos
IndependenceCelebrations
Since the pandemics independence celebrations have been paused like many other festivities in Guatemala. September 15 is the day that Guatemala commemorates its definitive separation from Spain, in 1821.
to gain strength, not only in Central América, other countries like México also shared theIndependencefeeling. Celebration includes the decoration with Guatemala’s colors—white and sky blue—the public buildings, andSporthouses.and cultural activities also take place. like the traditional “Antorcha” every Sep temberStudents14th.participate in the parades, dressed with their best patriotic outfits. Some wearing the traditional traje típico or “indumentaria maya” as it is call these days. And some others wearing elegant uniforms or majorette outfits.
The talent of students is recognized by allowing them to carry the flag on,} the day of the parade which is of great pride for families Along the streets, you can find all kinds of patriotic souvenirs, toys, flags, trumpets, drums, balloons. Everything screams Guatemala.
And of course, there’s music. Marimba concerts at every mayor plaza in the country, and talented students performing along the parades, not the traditional marching band music, but latin rhythms that in Guatemala, have been incorporated and adapted for the marching step.
It is not for sure if the 2022 celebrations will taking place with normality, but certainly there will be celebrations. Hopefully, little by little life will return to normal and COVID-19 will be only a bad memory.
Chef Amalia at the Mercado
text & photos by chef and author Amalia Moreno-Damgaard KitchenAmalia’s
The “ElExperienceMercado”
Food aficionados and cooks know that visiting a mercado is like taking a kid to a candy store, and not until you have been to a Guatemalan mercado do you realize that there are more than fruits and vegetables there.
During my time growing up in Guatemala, my mom and grandmother routinely went to the mercados to buy ingredients for the day’s menu. In small rural towns, this is still the case, as the distances that people must travel from Point A to Point B are less. As convenience has set in, supermarkets found a niche market in the more affluent Guatemalan homes that demand ready-toeat or prepackaged foods.
The mercados in the suburbs cater to the needs of neighboring households carrying mostly fresh produce, a combination of dried foods, and even pottery and clothing. One time I went in search of produce in a mercado in Zone 11 and came out with a set of gorgeous angels made in the town of Chinautla, a municipality in the department of Guatemala famous for its beautiful ceramics. You never know what is available until you visit. Municipal mercados can be indoor and outdoor and each type offers a different experience, whether you are in La Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala City, Coban, ChiLas Verapaces Mercado
While there are larger mercados, such as the Central Market in Guatemala City, there are medium and small street mercados throughout Guatemala. When I visit my family in Guatemala City, we go to different mercados every time, as each one always has something different and new to offer, making the experience unique, such as El Mercado Central de Antigua.
chicastenango or elsewhere. One thing to remember is that while there are staple mer cados, there also are Thursday and Sunday mercado days. Traveling in a remote area of Coban once, I visited one such mercado where vendors offered from the freshest harvest, from pigs to tepezcuintle (a delicacy from the rodent family), off the sides of the main road. Villagers slowly moved out of the way each time a car went by and then quickly regrouped in the middle of the road afterward.
Another mercado, off the beaten path offering a variety of agricultural products, is the Mercado de Villanueva, where the vendors arrange their produce very at tractively. It is worth the visit just to look and walk within each vendor’s stall. In this market, you can buy dried beans and chiles, and even baby fruit trees. One of my all-time favorites is the cen tral mercado in Guatemala City. I can spend hours just looking at its large vari ety of products, from food items to texA banana leaf roll, used to wrap food like tamales
tiles, clothing, shoes, ceramics, piñatas and much more. When visiting, you must stop by the comedores area, where you will find El Comedor de Doña Mela. This iconic eatery offers inexpensive typical Guatema lan foods in a very casual setting, where you eat at your own risk. Speaking of street mercado foods, here is a delicious one, which you can make and modify easily at home. The idea is to visit a mercado first and shop for the ingredients, and then enjoy your own creation. This is what Guatemalan mercados are about, places where you can explore beyond foods and awaken your senses in a cultural way.
eLOtes AsAdOs CON LiMÓN Y sAL de MAR Recipe by Chef Amalia Moreno-damgaard (AmaliaLLC.com)
This simple way of cooking corn is quick and easy. Elotes can be a snack or a side for a barbecue. Or cut the kernels off the cob and use them as a base for a fresh salsa. Serves 4 to 6 4 to 6 ears of fresh corn, husked (save the husks) 2 limes halved Sea salt Grill the corn over very hot charcoal until the corn is charred all over. Keep a close eye on the corn, as it cooks fast. Turn corn when it starts popping and charring begins. Keep the cooked corn warm. Serve the corn on the husks, rubbed with lime and sprinkled with salt. Or do it the traditional way — dip the lime in the salt and then rub it on the corn.
Chef Amalia at the grill
by Joy Houston ~ photos by Jack Houston
Sister Juana’s 17th century bathtub with revived colors.
Convent of La concepción
Life in a convent in colonial America was not about seclusion or vows of poverty. The nuns could live in the luxury they could afford, in private quarters with plenty of servants. They could manage their money, even conduct business, and receive visitors according to their social status.
While the Franciscans and Dominicans built elaborate mon asteries on large properties granted them at the southeast and northeast corners of Santiago de los Ca balleros (now La Antigua Guatemala), the town still had no religious order for women.
Bishop Francisco Marroquín who had seen the population through grief and disaster and relocation, was gone. Before he died in 1563, he had bequeathed funds to establish an order and build a house for nuns. He had had his hands full overseeing construction of the cathedral, establishing a hospital and dealing with a people who had become rich and proud. It was the Golden Century of Spain. Arts and literature flourished. Spain had a new king in 1566, and Cervantes made his lit erary debut in 1568. Strong, confident and energized by military conquests, the Spanish were on a roll, becoming the largest and most powerful empire in history. Maybe they rationalized that, having defeated the Muslim Moors after 700 centuries of occupation, “A grateful God was sending them silver and gold,” wrote Daniel Eisenberg (Journal of Hispanic Philology, 7, 1983). But at that time in Guatemala it wasn’t about religion. Despite the available funds left by Mar roquín, local authorities were ho-hum about a convent for women and didn’t issue a license until 1577. In 1578 four nuns of the order Jerónimas arrived from Mexico to found the order La Concepción. They lived on private property for about 50 years until their own convent and church were built, on the same site as the temporary housing, on calle de La Concepción (now 4a calle oriente).Irishfriar Thomas Gage wrote in 1626 that the Dominican monastery, where he lived at the time, was “the most sumptu ous” in Santiago, and also that it had “no equal other than that of the nuns of Con cepción” (Don Juan de Guzman, Los Viajes de Tomás Gage en la Nueva España, Vol. 7). The convent was expanded, repaired, rebuilt and finally completed in 1694, the date borne above the well-preserved con vent gate on the north wall—only to suffer drastic damage by earthquake in 1717.
Lifethemselves.inaconvent in colonial America, be ing far from the Mother House, was not about seclusion or vows of poverty. To the contrary, some chose the convent for independence, as their only alternative to marriage. They could live in the luxury they could afford, in private quarters with plenty of servants. They could manage their money, even conduct business, and receive visitors according to their social status. There were festivals, theater and dance,
Restoration techniques reveal colors of fountain decoration
By this time the nuns numbered well over 100, perhaps closer to 200, plus some 700 servants. They took to temporary housing again, dispersed throughout the town until 1729 when their elab orate convent and church were rebuilt, covering two square blocks and having 22 fountains. But the number of nuns had declined, partly because of the establishment of other orders. In those days it was customary for noble families to give their second child to the religious life, and the girls brought with them dowries that enriched the convents significantly. Nor was there any element of sacrifice involved for the girls
“Convents were centers where women could fulfill themselves artistically and culturally,” wrote Luz Méndez de la Vega, Guatemalan professor and poetess, in La Amada y Perse guida Sor Juana de Maldonado y Paz (2002). Which brings us to Sister Juana de Mal donado y Paz. She was no exception. Born in Santiago in 1598, she entered the convent La Concepción when she was barely 20 years old. Being the only child of a judge of the Royal Court, nothing was too grand and nothing too expensive for Juana. Her father’s pride and joy, he brought her gifts every day. Gage wrote, “She was not only the admiration of the convent but also of the city as much for the beauty of her voice and musical aptness as for her good education, which exceeded that of all the youth of the convent and the city. “It could truly be said that she was one of the nine muses of Greek mythology, a Calíope
Additional hand-painted tile bathtub discovered in September 2008 sometimes attended by ladies and gentlemen of the court. One wonders when the nuns had time to teach the 140 girls in their charge to read and write, which was their work.
Photo at the fountain in the private patio of Convent of La Concepcion to improvise verse with such wit that the bishop himself confessed that it was one of the things in which he found most pleasure in her conversation.” Ah yes, the bishop. The lovely Sister Juana had captured his heart. In addition to her father’s gifts of gold and silver and Italian paintings that decorated her rooms, there were gifts from the bishop. Juana had her own house within the convent, with many rooms, galleries and garden. Her favorite was her private chapel, with altar adorned with precious stones, silver lamps and gold embroidered canopy, where she en joyed playing the organ and other instruments alone or with friends or, especially, the bishop when he came to call. Eventually the word got out, and tongues wagged that such luxury was inappropriate for a nun who had taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Still, then as now, wealth won her favor—but also envy. She was idolized by the young nuns, who organized to make her Mother Superior, resented by those older and with seniority. No doubt the bishop backed the young nuns. It caused such a stir in the convent and com munity that one day the men charged through the streets, swords in hand, threatening to break down the door of the convent and rescue their daughters. Gage wrote that they no doubt would have done it if the town president hadn’t ordered a call to Sister Juana’s dad to plead with her to withdraw her aspirations and convince her that such a charge could not be trusted to
a youth of her age. He succeeded, “not without great shame to the bishop.” Sister Juana was left to live in obedience until, according to Méndez, she achieved the position when she became old. She died in 1666. Méndez calls Juana de Maldonado y Paz the “first poetess and Central American dramatist” and laments that she, unjustly, was “more perse cuted than loved,” perhaps in part due to Gage, who had his own issues with the church and may have exaggerated his accounts. But Méndez has no argument with Gage regarding the luxury in which the nuns lived nor the scandal. Méndez minimizes the “mischievous” gifts of the bishop, pointing to the many gifts of the families of the students of Sister Juana, who “shone as an intellectual and an artist.” María de la Concepción Andueza, in her professional research thesis presented to the University of San Carlos, gives similar credit: “The Convent of la Concepción came to great importance due to its dedication to teaching youth,” which provided the funds to reach “its highest splendor in the 17thThecentury.”convent finally succumbed to the earthquakes of 1773, although Sister Juana’s private cloister survived surprisingly well. The entrance to the public church, on the north wall, now has an iron gate for a peek at broken domes in side. The plain walls on the corner of 4a calle and Calle del Hermano Pedro are those of the Fountain in the private patio of the Convent after restoration.
Underground crypt of the convent New excavations uncovered steps to 18th century fountain in large, private cloister of
La Concepcion Convent
tion of La Antigua Guatemala (Consejo), archi tectural faculty of the University of San Carlos and National University of Cheng Kung of Tai wan for conservation of the ruins of the con vents La Concepción and Las Capuchinas. Now the home of Sister Juana, so long silent with its secrets, is open to the public as a museum. The Saga Continues While preparing the Convent La Concepcion for its reopening as the Museo de Semana Santa nuns’ church, which had no outside entrance and therefore no façade. A walk south from that corner to the next turn east, toward the back of the old convent, rewards the curious and feeds the imagination. The chimenea of Sister Juana’s kitchen stands out, and remains of walls, win dows and arches rise from feet of dirt and veg etation.In2005 the government of Taiwan collaborated with the National Council for the Protec Reconstruction in process
Fountain in the private patio of Convent of La Concepcion during restoration
More reconstruction in process
(Holy Week Museum) they have uncovered new colors, secrets and surprises. In June 1737, the nuns of Convent La Con cepción invited the town of Santiago de los Caballeros, now La Antigua Guatemala, to a celebration. Sound strange? Yes, but the lovely young ladies of convents in the colonial city were no ordinary nuns and led somewhat differ ent lives than what we might expect today.
La Concepción was the first convent founded in Santiago (1578), as well as the largest, richest and most sumptuous. The La Concepción nuns were especially privileged, being daughters of Spanish nobility and bringing with them hefty dowries. Life in the convent, rather than being marked by devotion, seclusion and vows of pov erty, allowed these women to avoid unwanted marriages and relaxed the rules so they could pursue the arts and even carry on businesses.
17th century chimney of the private kitchen of Sister Juana de Maldonado y Paz during 2007-8 restoration
Festivities within the convents, with guests of family, friends and the court, were common. In fact, they became so extravagant and raucous that they brought complaints from the neighbors. The story, as reported in the October 2007 Revue, continues to unfold. Since 2007 the National Council for the Protection of La Antigua Guatema la, called the Consejo, the University of San Carlos (USAC) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) have been working to prepare the convent for its reopening as the Museo de Semana Santa (Holy Week Museum). During the past year they have uncovered colors, secrets and surprises.“The fountain in the large courtyard is the jewel of the project,” beams Rocío Araujo, architect of USAC and director of the work. Unlike most fountains, this elaborately carved one was decorated in red and yellow. Colonial fountains and decorations typically are of one color— natural dye red. Rocío and her team, which includes USAC architecture stu dent Marvin Escobar and Miguel de los Reyes, restorer and conservator of Barcelona, hold to strict rules of conservation.
“The easy thing would be to say, ‘Let’s go buy red,’ but that’s not what we want to do,” says Reyes. They apply extract from nopal, a cactus, and natural resins to Inside the Convent of La Concepcion during restoration
Just weeks before writing of this article, a similar, hand-painted tile bathtub was discov ered several meters from that of Sister Juana. In the same area are a washstand with two hand sinks, including original stone stoppers, an other fountain, another pila and what seems to be an herb garden box. Studies and digs con tinue for more information. Records show that the convent was so populous by 1633 that the nuns urgently petitioned for and were granted more space, pushing the walls out, absorbing and rerouting the street of that time.
The Convent of La Concepción closed, like most of Santiago, after the earthquake of 1773, when the seat of the Spanish govern ment moved to what is now Guatemala City. But its own end actually came before that, its numbers diminishing like other religious in
“There is probably a fountain under this one that was here at that time,” Reyes continues. The excavation team believes there are as many as six layers of construction in the convent, each built on top of rubble of destruction of theAprevious.quickword of reassurance to lovers of the legend of the illustrious Sister Juana: the tiled hot water bathtub further back in the private cloister-within-a-cloister is indeed verified to be hers, its red richness now recovered through painstaking treatments of nopal. The system for heating the water and channeling it to run into the tub is clearly evident.
bring out the color that has been hidden under residue of the centuries. “The fountain gives us the information, the gift of showing us the original colors.” Short stairways to the fountain have also been uncovered. A wooden platform is be ing constructed so visitors can appreciate the fountain at close view without touching it. The dream is that the fountain, filled with water, will function again. Simple, square, concrete bases have been set for columns to support a roof over the corridor around the fountain patio. Rocío explains that they found remains of the bottoms of the bases, “...so we knew they were here. But we didn’t know what they looked like, so we made them very simple.” Off the corridor are rooms that served various functions, including a chapel earlier thought to be the private chapel of Sister Juana de Maldonado y Paz, the most famous recluse of La Concepción Convent for her writ ing, theater and music. “But Sister Juana never saw this,” Reyes an nounces quietly. What?! Say that again! Careful research of recent months in the Archives of Central America in Guatemala City and study of construction materials and style of adornment show that the whole patio area, includ ing fountain, are from the 18th century, not the 17th, when Sister Juana lived there. Indications are that the cloister seen today was built between the earthquakes of 1717 and 1773.
Sister Juana became Mother Superior and af ter her death was buried under the altar of the convent church. Her luxurious private quarters, provided by her wealthy and doting dad, were left to a trusted nun, who eventually sold them to another family of another young nun. Ac cording to the archives the quarters were twostoried, but nothing remains of the second floor.
stitutions, suffering from effects of declining religious dedication. It had become but a “testi monial to past glory,” wrote Magda de Aragón in the Guión Museológico para el Museo de la Semana Santa. “We are trying to discover the rest of the story, with three or four centuries of energy here,” Reyes explains. He knows this team may not be the one to uncover everything. “We keep a data bank of information for later workers. We change nothing but only consolidate the bro ken parts. And in the end, it should look as if we were never here.”
Fountain in the private patio of Convent of La Concepcion during restoration
The author thanks Elizabeth Bell for her assistance.
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MUSIC OF GUATEMALA by Thor Janson (in fond memory)
First seen in 1973, he became a common jungle personage. Like Lord Greystoke, he was suckled by the wild beasts, crowned his head with the iridescent feathers of quetzal, and drank directly from the fountains of origin. Navigator, explorer, biologist, photographer, author, synergetic geometrician, he walked in boustrophedon the four cardinal points, leaving testimony of his path every where. —Sensei Manuel Corleto Oliver Thor Janson was a wildlife conservationist who used photography as a tool to promote environmental education, his life passion.
1st Place Judges Vote “Maya Kaqchikel, singer-songwriter, Sara Curruchich” Palacio De Los Capitanes, Antigua by Kerstin Sabene
“Sonidos cuaresmales” Centro Histórico, Ciudad de Guatemala by Diego Gordillo Quintana
