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Guatemala’s English-language Magazine June 2018 Year 27, No. 4 FREE revuemag.com Portraits of Guatemala 4 1 2 3 4 5 NEW! VIRTUAL REALITY TOURS 6 7 ON THE COVER : 1st PLACE by judges vote in the Revue Photo Contest: Portraits of Guatemala. “Ija Re Ixim From the Publishers ‘Semilla del Maiz’” La Esperanza, Quetzaltenango, by Rocio Teo Lam. or a multitude of reasons we feel that this is an epic edition ~ for starters Guatemalan art is all over the pages, be they the stunning images from the June photo contest or the spectacular articles—Sonya Poller's The Art of Wet Plate, an Finterview with Jorge Luis Chavarría; Meeting Doña Tina by German Velásquez, a still portrait that led to a heartwarming true-life story; Kerstin Sabene takes us to Cobán in Home Is Where the Art Is and introduces us to an extraordinary artist Ernesto Argueta Fraatz; and Ken Veronda's Sensuous Guatemala gives a shout out to Worry Dolls who just might be able to take our pain away. Teacher's Day celebrated on June 25 honors Professor María Chinchilla Recinos (see Datebook, pg. 28). We also want to honor Guatemala’s English-language Magazine the memory of Luis de Lión, (1939-1984) He was a devoted teacher, writer and activist. In 1984 he was abducted by the military. His body REVUEmag.com • [email protected] Publishers/Editors John & Terry Kovick Biskovich has never been found but his spirit is still very much alive today. Associate Editor Matt Bokor General Manager José Caal Photography César Tián, Luis Toribio Though Amalia Moreno-Damgaard is best known for her tremendous Graphic Designer Hadazul Cruz Webmaster / Social Media JB culinary talents, she, too, is a teacher and nutrition is definitely one of Contributing Photographers her passions as you'll see in Calories are Not Created Equal. Nelo Mijangos, Willy Posadas Production Director Mercedes Mejicanos Administrative Assistant María Solís Lastly we want to give a heartfelt shout out to a multitude of Revue Systems Luis Juárez Distribution César Tián, Luis Toribio readers who have encouraged us through these many years and Maintenance Silvia Gómez advertisers who have been in the magazine month after month, year Sales Representatives Ivonne Pérez, César Tián, after year since March of 1992. Denni Marsh, Fernando Rodas, Luis Toribio, Lena Johannessen, José Pablo Visquerra Printed by PRINT STUDIO As always, you can keep up on current cultural activities with your Publishing Company PRODUCCIONES PUBLICITARIAS ESTRELLA ANTIGUA, S.A. mobile device by bookmarking TheAntiguaGuide.com/calendar and Readership 30,000 monthly you can read the Revue online at RevueMag.com. and check out TheAntiguaGuide.com REVUE OFFICES: lA AnTigua We hope you have a great month of June in Guatemala. Monday-Friday 9am-5pm 3a avenida sur #4-A (Central Office) — John & Terry Kovick Biskovich TEL: (502) 7931-4500 revuemag.com [email protected] SAN CRISTÓBAL Denni Marsh Tel: 5704-1029 REVUEmag.com PBX: (502) 7931-4500 SAN LUCAS Rodolfo Flores Tel: 3016-8557 El SAlvadoR [email protected] PRINT - MOBILE - ONLINE [email protected] El Salvador Regional Manager: Lena Johannessen REVUE is distributed free, and available at: Hotels, Restaurants, Travel Agencies, Car Rental Agencies, Col. Centroamérica Calle San Salvador #202, San Salvador Embassies, Spanish Schools, INGUAT offices, Shops, and other public places in the following areas: Tels: (503) 7981-4517, 7860-8632 Guatemala City, La Antigua, Quetzaltenango, Lake Atitlán, Cobán, Petén, Río Dulce, Lívingston and Monterrico Opinions or statements printed in the REVUE are not necessarily For upcoming cultural events and info on Antigua businesses, check TheAntiguaGuide.com those of the publishers. We welcome your comments. 8 9 “Rabinal Rabinal,Achí” Baja Josué Verapaz,Morales by “Tamagochy” by Jorge “CoCo” García by “Tamagochy” this month in revue SECTionS 24 DateBook: JUNE 12 feature by Sonya Poller 20 artist PROFILE by Kerstin Sabene 32 Live Music Slow Photography in Guatemala Ernesto Argueta Fraatz 40 Health Services The Art of Wet Plate Home Is Where The Art Is 79 Travel Interview with Jorge Luis Chavarría 92 Marketplace 22 PHOTOGRAPHY by German Velasquez 95 Real Estate Meeting Doña Tina REGionS 35 Guatemala City 54 by Amalia Moreno-Damgaard Amalia’S kitchen 46 La Antigua Calories are Not Created Equal 81 Lake Atitlán Calorie counting is not a one-size-fits-all solution 88 Pacific Coast -- with recipe for Horchata de Pepita y Ajonjoli 79 El Petén 90 Tecpán 72 guatemala INSIGHT by Elizabeth Bell 90 Quetzaltenango Education for All 91 Río Dulce Antigua is emerging as a city for university students 8 From the Publishers 47 MAP: La Antigua 83 MAP: Lake Atitlán 80 SENSUOUS guatemala by Ken Veronda 92 Vet Q & A Worry Dolls 94 Advertiser Index The doll that can end your painful thoughts PHoTo ConTEST: “Portraits of Guatemala” All of the June entries can be seen at REVUEmag.com Here are the winners: Cover Rocio Teo Lam • 38 Ronald Waldo López • 44 Ana Gabriela Santisteban M. • 50 Beto Rivas • 52 Estuardo Tunche • 58 Carlos Guillermo R. PHOTO CONTEST FOR JULY “Rivers & Lakes of Guatemala” see pg. 2 10 11 Slow Photography in Guatemala THE ART OF WET PLatE An interview with Jorge Luis Chavarría by Sonya Poller reathe. Adjust the light. A little more to the right. Yes, just so. Now, look at the camera. Freeze. Hold B... hold ... hold. Flash! Breathe again. The volatile chemicals slowly crawl along the glass, dark shadows and streams of light. Wait. Stepping back in time, a portrait of a Guatemalan woman appears, her face kind, strong, Carmen Duarte years of hard work, love and tragedy suspended; a raw beauty in the primordial stains of colloidal silver. “To be an artist, you need perspective This is slow photography, and it’s the to see more, to question more, reflect way that Guatemalan photographer more, so that you can generate more.” Jorge Luis Chavarría likes it, so much so, that he set up a studio dedicated — Luis Chavarría to the meticulous art of wet plate Esteban Valladares photography. He is the only photographer in mainly used in the 1850s-1880s. The technique was Guatemala to do so. Slowly and meticulously Chava- pioneered by British inventor Frederick Scott Archer in rria is cultivating this art form and letting new ways of 1851 and given fame by the legendary photographer seeing Guatemala grow. Edward Muybridge, who coincidentally spent time in Guatemala in 1875 (albeit using dry plate photography) Wet plate photography, also known as wet plate taking evocative photographs of the landscape and collodion photography, is a 19th century technique, people. Wet plate photography is sought out and 13 Chavarría portraits reveal a mosaic of personalities; each plate of glass a unique story, each a portal into another life. and wet plate chemicals not readily available in Guatemala, so Chavarría is forced to consider each piece extremely carefully. One photograph can take about 10 to 15 minutes, compared to mere seconds for a digital image. Chavarría often takes longer than 15 minutes, because for him, getting to know his subjects is why he takes photos. Wetplating Guatemala Guatemala is a place of contra- dictions; a painful, glorious and often brutal history beginning with the palpable legacy of the Mayas, leading to today with continued political instability, corruption and disillusionment. While there is eco- nomic hardship, some argue, it is one of the happiest places on Earth. Betty Morales Despite its complexities, people share fierce pride and generosity. This is the still used today by photographers and enthusiasts willing to make the backdrop for Chavarría’s photos. effort to take on this complicated process. Chavarría portraits reveal a mosaic While impressive, wet plate photography is certainly not fast or easy. of personalities; each plate of glass Plates of glass treated with an alcohol-ether solution are placed in a a unique story, each a portal into wooden antique camera. The glass is again treated and developed using a another life. Artists, designers, mus- ferrous sulfate solution to create a “perfectly imperfect” and permanent icians, fighters, mothers and children; record. The process requires preparation, stillness and reflection, what their faces reveal lives lived, dreams Chavarría calls “slow photography.” Glass plates are in limited supply unfulfilled and a desire for something 14 Cesar Pineda Moncrieff more. They are the many-colored faces of Guatemala: dark, café and light. Faces hardened with time and soft with innocence, full of hope, sly humor and stern remembrance. Chavarría’s style is all about getting people to reveal themselves. “The trick to good photography is to have a clear idea of what you want to say ... the photo becomes a story about your conversations with people, you’re learning from them and they from you. I’ve always liked the collaborative part of making a photo. In the end, the experience of taking the photo has the same or greater value than the photo itself.” Lapses in Time Chavarría not only painstakingly creates portraits, he reflects on existence; they’re an existential win- dow into the heart of his subjects. “During the photo I felt I was captured in a lapse of time, a moment of meditation into something deeper,” said of one of his subjects. Chavarría’s secret to portraiture is for themselves. This also translates into a dialogue with the viewers of his ability to see more and connect his photographs. Chavarría believes connection creates empathy. “You to his people and country. “In can see what I’m trying to do without having to explain. It will confront Guatemala there’s a lot of mistrust, something in the people that see it. It’s synchronization.” due to a history of trauma.