The Splendor of Fuego (video)

The Fuego volcano had been rumbling all day. Come dusk the gushes of lava were exploding, incandescent against the azur sky. Come night the show was simply spectacular. We drove to the foothills and took this footage, mesmerized by this privileged fiery spectacle. A few weeks before the Guatemala Philharmonic Orchestra had played in Antigua’s central plaza, as a back drop, the cathedral mystically illuminated. Bringing the music and the volcano together seemed fitting to honor this rare and grand spectacle.

Volcan de Fuego, Antigua, Guatemala – August 10th,2007

QM Leather & Tweed – New!

Check out these terrific bags, the kind you can keep forever, ones that transcend fashion and feel more like objects than apparel. The tweed and plaid are old Maya blankets on the verge of extinction, collected in remote highland villages. This makes each bag unique. Beautifully crafted with genuine high quality leather and stitched to perfection. Ethnicity elevated to urban elegance, a nice twist!

You like them? We ship them!

From $150.00 – de ville to $375.00 – week-ender (7 models / sizes)

information Toll free USA (1) 866 – 621 40 32 or info@quintamaconda.com

Departures – Guatemala Gusto! – Quinta Maconda

 December 31st, 2006 – We celebrate new year’s eve with Richard David Story, (DEPARTURES, Editor in chief)  his wife Jennifer and son Zach, also of the party, Catherine Docter, photographer Alexandra Penney and Dennis Ashbaugh as with the presence of many local friends. It was a festive evening that set the pace for the exhilarating 8 day adventure that followed.

DEPARTURES July-August 2007 -

Guatemala Gusto! 10 page feature by Richard David Story 

View DEPARTURES – PDF:jh-Guatemala Gusto.pdf

Want to see more QM Press? www.quintamaconda.com

QM Casa Oriente – Events & Weddings (video)

CASA ORIENTE – Restoration, Architectural Design & Interiors – John Heaton

Aside from arranging tailor made journeys and all sorts of fun stuff for our guests, we have come to organize wonderful events. The master of ceremonies and coordinator extraordinaire of these happenings is, as per Richard Story ( Editor in chief of Departures): ” …the brilliant! and charming,Catherine Docter”. Catherine, with her customary grace and flowing talent makes all her clients, soon to become friends, feel at ease. More so, she makes the idea of having a wedding in Antigua, fun and exotic, and sets the highest standards of taste and service to the show. Catherine has the exclusive use of Antigua’s most coveted venue, Casa Oriente, the priest house once part of the 18th century Capuchin convent, that has been wonderfully restored and is among Antigua’s most exclusive private historic properties. Casa Oriente is used to stage lovely lunches and dinners and for smaller parties (60-70 guests or so) can host the wedding ceremony itself. For larger congregations and for drama Catherine has the use of some of Antigua’s stunning barroque churches. Her elegant touch will create a unique romantic and magical atmosphere for those seeking an unforgettable marriage ritual.

A Taste of Casa Oriente:

For information or booking please contact: cdocter@mesoamericanconsulting.com

Window on the Highland Maya (video)

The following is video footage taken in the highlands during a 2 day trip. The shrine is by the cemetary of Nahuala and the indigenous gathering is during All Saints day.

Heli-Safari – Guatemala (video)

The ultimate way to get to know the “unknown” Guatemala and the byways of the authentic. Come fly with us!

State of the art helicopters and experienced pilots: www.quintamaconda.com “the” portal to the Private & Authentic Guatemala

Information and booking: Info@quintamaconda.com

The conservation of cultural diversity – a priority today!

Sustainable Tourism,Culture and Progress

Having enjoyed the great privilege of experiencing the diverse expressions of the traditional cultures of Guatemala and Mexico for the last 30 years, it is devastating to have to observe its erosion and the poverty of progress in the region.    
 
For the first time  in history, as a result of the tsunami of globalization, much of the third world is at risk of loosing the intrinsic beauty and diversity of its traditional cultures, the historic vernacular of its ethnic architecture, its languages, as the mystique of its ancestral religious traditions.

Fast forward is rarely a harmonious melody, nor is the unruly pace of progress. It is unsettling to think, that in the not too distant future we might no longer be able to differentiate the cultural offerings of one nation from another.

Traditions hold the diverse and intrinsic wisdom of the global tribe, its knowledge, its innate education, its resilience and grace. How could it be possible that in just a few decades a nation’s (Guatemala) cultural umbilical cord be severed by corruption, incompetence and the mediocre proposals of progress. That, is the road to poverty. 

A priority today, should be to sustain the integrity of the worlds diverse cultures, admire their uniqueness, reinforce their being, and applaud their survival.

When thinking sustainable tourism, subsidizing the survival of cultural diversity is far more urgent today than subsidizing wars and stimulating animosity.  If indeed sustainable tourism is to be an option to better the lifestyle and economy of developing nations, the preservation of their cultural and natural diversity is paramount to the success of that endeavor. Furthermore, there will be a far greater chance for success if and when the respect and preservation of a country’s  endemic culture and biodiversity is embraced as an inherent part of
its progress.

John Heaton – Antigua, Guatemala, June,2007

Thar Desert, Rajasthan – Cobra Dance (video)

An encounter with the Rajput gypsies in the Thar desert. This clip is that of a young boy interpreting the Cobra dance…
I travelled for two weeks in the land of the Rajputs Gypsies in remote communities of the Thar desert and was invited to attend the wedding of the bride’s of Taluk’dani, and extraordinary Alibabaesque affair in the desert. ( see future clip.)

Come travel with us: in Guatemala

Bali Trance 2000 – The inauguration of the sacred chariot (video)

Bali, Sanur – This was an amazing ceremony that honored the restauration of a sacred chariot that had been out of comission for over 60 years.
We were only 4 non Balinese to be invited by the local Raja to attend this happening.

Buena Vista Social Club – New Year’s 2000

A rarefied and unforgettable experience! Ibrahim Ferrer, Teresa Caturla and the gang.