Guatemala’s English-language Magazine February 2016 FREE Year 24, No. 12 revuemag.com FriendsFriends andand LoversLovers GuatemalanGuatemalan ChocolateChocolate TrekkingTrekking thethe CuchumatanesCuchumatanes 3 4 1 2 3 Entry in the Revue Photo Contest: Friends & Lovers. “Hasta el atardecer (Until sunset)” Monterrico, by Fernando Orozco 4 5 1st PLACE by judges vote. “Explorando con amigos” by David Rojas. Prize: Q200 REVUE PHOTO CONTEST: Friends & Lovers in Guatemala 3rd PLACE by judges vote. “Viendo en la misma dirección tu y yo” by Jude Fotografia. Prize: Q50 6 7 8 9 SECTIONS 24 DateBook: Feb. 41 Health Services 82 Travel / El Salvador 83 Travel 97 Marketplace 101 Real Estate Organic Guatemalan chocolate bars (Kerstin Sabene) REGIONS 35 Guatemala City 46 La Antigua 85 Lake Atitlán Contentsontents 90 Pacific Coast C 83 El Petén 14 BOOK ALERT 54 AMALIA’s kitCHEN 94 Tecpán a novel by David Mohrmann by Amalia Moreno-Damgaard Xocomil, The Winds of Family, Love and 95 Quetzaltenango Atitlán Guatemalan Chocolate 96 Río Dulce (with recipe) 16 FEATURE MISC. by Kerstin Sabene 58 THE TAX CORNER Guatemalan Chocolate, by John Ohe 12 From the Publishers a Sweet Love Affair Key Tax Changes for 2016 47 MAP: La Antigua 20 GUATEMALA INSIGHT 60 SENSUOUS GUATEMALA 52 Vet Q & A by Elizabeth Bell by Ken Veronda 106 Advertiser Index Film Production in Guatemala Pink - Rosado 21 PROFILE 66 PROFILE photo contest: by Maria Westfried by Louise Wisechild Friends & Lovers in Guatemala Bob Graham’s Commitment Doña Chona Rax, to Economic Justice Labor of Love All of the Feb. entrants can be seen at REVUEmag.com -- Here are the winners 22 TRAVEL 92 EDUCATION 6 David Rojas by David Mohrmann by Matthew Meehan 6 Jude Fotografia Trekking the Cuchumatanes Niños de Guatemala 80 Karen González 80 Allan González 81 Alex Jones 81 Jorge Javier Barrios Deadline for the Festival Atitlán (see DateBook) MARCH 2016 issue » FEB. 5 10 18 11 From the publishers alentine’s Day/Día del Cariño is special because it reminds us to reach out to friends and lovers to tell them how much we care about them. It is second only to Christmas as the most popular card-sending holiday. And Guatemala’s English-language Magazine asV for gift giving, a box of chocolate says it all. This month Kerstin Sabene brings REVUEmag.com • [email protected] us Guatemalan Chocolate—A Sweet Love Affair and Amalia Moreno-Damgaard Publishers/Editors John & Terry Kovick Biskovich Associate Editor Matt Bokor offers Family, Love and Guatemalan Chocolate. If you are so inclined to make a General Manager José Caal very special sweet treat, she is sharing one of her favorite dessert recipes, Guate- Photography César Tián, Luis Toribio malan Dark Chocolate Crepes with Dulce de Leche. Ken Veronda rounds out the Graphic Designer Hadazul Cruz Sensuous—Pink Webmaster / Social Media JB & Heather Aleman valentine theme with ! For opera lovers, you won’t want to miss Contributing Photographers the performance by Brian OliverSmith, A Tenor in Love, presented at La Cueva Thor Janson, Nelo Mijangos, Willy Posadas de Panza Verde. See details in this month’s Datebook. La Antigua Manager César Tián Love and care and compassion is not reserved just for Valentine’s Day for Production Director Mercedes Mejicanos Administrative Assistant María Solís folks like Bob Graham and Doña Chona Rax. Both have dedicated their lives Systems Luis Juárez to improving and caring for those less fortunate. Maria Westfried fills us in on Distribution César Tián, Oscar Chacón, Luis Toribio Maintenance Silvia Gómez Bob Graham´s Commitment to Justice and Louise Wisechild tells us why Doña Chona Rax’s life was A Labor of Love. Sales Representatives Ivonne Pérez, César Tián, Denni Marsh, Fernando Rodas, Luis Toribio, Novelist David Mohrmann shares his experiences and thoughts on war and Lena Johannessen peace and recovery while Trekking the Cuchumatanes. His latest book, Xocomil, Printed by PRINT STUDIO The Winds of Atitlán is this month’s Revue Book Alert. Publishing Company Elizabeth Bell puts a spotlight on Film Production in Guatemala. She shares PRODUCCIONES PUBLICITARIAS ESTRELLA ANTIGUA, S.A. CIRCULATION 10,000 magazines monthly a lot of interesting facts about movies that have been filmed in Guatemala and much more. For U.S. foreign nationals living in Guatemala, John Ohe unravels REVUE OFFICES: (U.S. IRS) Key Tax Changes for 2016. LA Antigua Last, but certainly not least, we have good news on education and empower- 3a avenida sur #4-A (Central Office) TEL: (502) 7931-4500 ing local communities. Matthew Meehan brings us up to date on work being [email protected] done by Niños de Guatemala, including details about its three schools that provide education to 430 children, ages 4 to 14. SAN CRISTÓBAL Denni Marsh Tel: 5704-1029 We hope you enjoy all the photos from the February photo contest: Friends SAN LUCAS Rodolfo Flores Tel: 3016-8557 and Lovers, along with a liberal sprinking of quotes about friendship and love. EL Salvador [email protected] El Salvador Regional Manager: Lena Johannessen Thank you for reading Revue, in print and online at REVUEmag.com Col. Centroamérica Calle San Salvador #202, San Salvador Tels: (503) 7981-4517, 7860-8632 — John & Terry Kovick Biskovich Opinions or statements printed in the REVUE are not necessarily revuemag.com those of the publishers. We welcome your comments. REVUE is distributed free, and available at: Hotels, Restaurants, Travel Agencies, Car Rental Agencies, Embassies, Spanish Schools, INGUAT offices, Shops, and other public places in the following areas: Guatemala City, La Antigua, Quetzaltenango, Lake Atitlán, Cobán, Petén, Río Dulce, Lívingston, Monterrico, Retalhuleu; as well as locations in El Salvador and Honduras. ON THE COVER REVUEmag.com “Lovers’ Secret” PRINT - MOBILE - ONLINE by Jorge C. Castillo PBX: (502) 7931-4500 [email protected] 12 BOOK ALERT Newly released, Xocomil, The Winds of Atitlán — a novel by David Mohrmann Now available www.amazon.com/dp/0996992200 “ ocomil” (show-coh-MEEL) Jaime is a poor Maya boy from by others as “the place where water spans what most historians Santa Catarina—a good son, a gathers.” In either case, a good name term the Guatemalan Civil dreamer—unable to escape the harsh for a lake. It is a thousand feet deep. War. That, unfortunately, realities of Indian life. It hides a lot. But its surface reflects doesX not begin to describe how it was Jake is a farm boy from Kansas— a world of human behavior that of- experienced by the oppressed indig- also a dreamer—who, like Jaime, ten taints the beauty of this magical enous Mayas. must survive a war and its many place. nightmares. The novel begins and ends at Lake Aura is a Maya girl from San An- “Xocomil” is a word unique to Atitlán. It travels from traditional tonio—a practical thinker—trying to Atitlán. It refers to the lake’s strong Mayan villages through the war-torn avoid the painful truths that threaten afternoon wind. Originally it meant mountains of Guatemala; from corn- her slight semblance of peace. “the demon’s fury.” Since the inva- fields in Kansas through the jungles Luanne is from San Francisco, sion of Spaniards and Catholicism, of Vietnam; from pot-filled hills in and has no idea who she is until a however, some converted Maya have Northern California through the near death experience makes her a taken it to mean “the wind that car- psychedelic haunts of San Francisco seer—sometimes of things she would ries away sin.” to the ruins, and magic mushrooms, rather not know. of Southern Mexico. It is about sim- Regardless of meaning, the xo- ple lands full of complex intrigues. “Atitlán” is translated by some as comil blows nearly every day. Some- And hope. Always hope. “where the rainbow gets its colors;” times with fury. 14 Achi woman serving chocolate at a Maya celebration (Gg) It’s almost impossible not to be struck by the enormous sense of pride Guatemalans take in their country’s rich chocolate heritage. And as if this weren’t enough to tempt a sweet tooth, Antigua boasts its own chocolate museum. In addi- tion to producing edible cacao prod- ucts, the ChocoMuseo educates the public about the entire chocolate- making process through interactive workshops, beautifully crafted exhib- its and entertaining tours. Whether you visit the ChocoMuseo at its 4a calle oriente or 5a avenida norte lo- cation, it’s almost impossible not to be struck by the enormous sense of pride Guatemalans take in their country’s rich chocolate heritage and Cacao Chef, Rudy Limán demonstrating the refining process at ChocoMuseo.(K. Sabene) Guatemalan Chocolate a Sweet Love Affair by Kerstin Sabene - photos by Kerstin Sabene and Gg or chocolate lovers, Guate- ways. Luscious chocolate bars, exqui- mala is a sweet place to be site truffles and liquor-filled bonbons on Valentine’s Day. This is are but a few of the beautiful choco- especially true if you visit La late concoctions that are available at FAntigua Guatemala, where chocohol- the many artisanal sweet shops scat- ics can indulge in so many delightful tered throughout town. 16 The word cacao originates from the Maya word ka’kau’. The Maya revered the cacao tree because they The Maya revered believed that ka’kau’ was discovered by gods in a mountain. Carl Lin- the cacao tree because naeus, a Swedish botanist renowned they believed that ka’kau’ for classifying plant life, renamed was discovered by gods cacao, Theobroma, which translated in a mountain. from Latin means “food of the gods.” In ancient times, the Maya, shamans and Aztec kings all consumed cacao Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. in beverage form and believed it to The main growing region for the be an elixir with aphrodisiacal quali- Maya in Guatemala was originally ties.