On June 3rd, 2018, el volcan del fuego erupted in Guatemala; more than 100 lives were lost. It really pains us to hear the countless stories of the current tragedy because here at GYV Mesoamerican Beauty, we found inspiration in Mesoamerican cultures.
One center of inspiration to us is Guatemala, the largest country in Central America. When we visited Guatemala for the first time, Esquipulas was the first of many stops on our trip and it is located close to the borders of Honduras and El Salvador.
Esquipulas is known for its unnaturally white Basilica that houses it’s Cristo Negro revered all around the world. If you visit, make sure you note, it is important that each person never turns their back to el Cristo Negro (you are supposed to walk up to the viewing platform and then slowly back away and down the ramp) as this image has come to mean so much to so many. People from all over the region make Esquipulas the place to be, especially on the weekends, It was there, looking at the many proud Mayan women, wearing their trajes, (the Traje a traditional dress is a statement of her cultural and personal identity each Maya village has its own style of weaving and dress, so you can usually tell which village a woman is from based on the style of her traje), that we got inspired to include flora and fauna in our glass candle.
From there we visited Antigua Guatemala, a Unesco world heritage site.
The arch of Santa Catalina welcomes you to the city and its old colonial architecture. As soon as we settled in, we walked to the central plaza (Plaza Mayor) and its unique fountain of sirens. This is the perfect place to people watch and enjoy a great mango flavored shaved ice cone; or as the locals knows it, Minuta de Mango. Yes, you guessed it, one of the original spots where our mango fragrance started to take shape.
Antigua used to be the capital of Colonial Central America, until it was devastated by a massive earthquake in 1773; there are still several buildings from that area that are still standing. We took a walking tour from the Plaza Mayor and visited some of the more famous ruins from that era, like El convento Santo Domingo, which from its roof top you can actually see the 3 volcanoes that surround the area. Our trip ended with a lifelong love for Guatemala, its people, places and flavors, a true Mesoamerican Beauty.
This beautiful country needs help, please donate and help as you can, here in Los Angeles County we are supporting #HoodDigest Guatemala Fund https://www.gofundme.com/5n0cqmo.
GYV HOPE