Re-trato de Familia brings together the lives of Hannah, Mario, Igal and Jaime — three generations that connect mother to son to grandsons — spanning the bridges of time and space. It all began …

In 1967, I came to Guatemala to work as a secretary at the Japanese Embassy. Two years later, I met a Japanese man who was studying the indigenous weaving techniques and dress from Guatemala. This man, who became my husband, introduced me to the wonderful world of the Mayan tradition and history of this country. One day, when he returned from one of his research trips in the western part of the country, he brought me a half-woven backstrap loom. He gave me some advice on its handling. This loom, from Santiago Atitlán, primitive and quite simple, was my first encounter with this type of instrument. Since then, I have been working constantly with some kind of loom. I now use one that I have created, which has some of the versatility of the backstrap loom and the speed of the foot loom. For my textile creations I use threads that I hand-spin with cotton fibers from a plant in my garden. Sometimes, I use colored threads, which my husband obtains from animals and plants.

I met Rita Golden Gelman in Antigua, Guatemala, 18 years ago. I was recently divorced, reeling and trying to figure out how to make a new life for myself and my 5-year-old son. I don’t remember HOW I met her, nor WHERE, but I have never forgotten what an impression she made on me. She too was newly divorced and starting on a new path — what would be the beginning of a nomadic existence that has lasted these past 18 years and shows no sign of slowing down. What I remember most about Rita is that she was so adventurous, independent and intelligent. She was an extremely dynamic, accomplished woman — an inspiration and role model!

Internationally-known Kaqchikel Mayan artist Carlos Chávez presents Canto a la Esperanza at the Galería Panza Verde in La Antigua, Guatemala on Wed., 11th at 5pm. This collection is an expression of his long-time theme of persistence, which is at once melancholy and hopeful. Melancholy in its clarification of the losses resulting from violent conflict; but hopeful through Chávez’ sunny and fluid symbolism, particularly in the unexpected but masterful use of flower and dove motifs. Taken together, these complementary elements are a call to, or a celebration of, resilience.

What ideals do teenagers hold? How would teens describe the ideal man or ideal woman? How are the ideals of Guatemalan adolescents like or unlike those of their counterparts in other regions of the globe? These are the questions addressed in a recently published book titled The Thoughts of Youth: Adolescents’ ideal man and ideal woman in international perspective by Judith L. Gibbons & Deborah A. Stiles, (Information Age Publishers).

Not entirely a spectator sport, the Colectiva de Arte 2004 is an art exhibit with a twist — “it is to teach,” says Leonor de Neuweiler, auxiliary board member of Junkabal in Guatemala City. “Seven famous artists will paint wooden trays in a workshop,” she explains. The trays will then be sold in a silent auction. Colectiva de Arte is the annual fundraiser organized by the board to benefit Junkabal, a professional training center for women. The exhibit opens on September 7th and runs until September 10th at Anacafé, 5a calle 0-50, zona 14. The workshop (Q75) will be held on Thursday, September 9, beginning at 4 p.m.

All year long he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on helpless mortals. But on Wednesday, December 7, at 6 p.m. sharp, the Devil gets his comeuppance, as he is tossed out of the house along with the trash and set ablaze in the Quema del Diablo (Burning of the Devil), a tradition in many Guatemalan towns that literally sparks the beginning of the Christmas Season.

Under the production and direction of Stefano Poda, a cast of 1,000 will be on stage in Guatemala City performing Verdi’s Aïda. They include professional dancers, singers, actors, members of the Guatemalan Olympic Committee, members of the national choirs, the Guatemalan Ballet, schools and a local artistic group that was founded by Poda. In years past, he has brought Verdi’s Macbeth and Dante’s The Divine Comedy to the capital and La Antigua Guatemala.

The great Spanish artist Francisco de Goya was left deaf by an illness at the age of 46. As if it were a cruel echo, a copy of the fifth edition of his copper etchings was left silent on a library shelf for decades. The volume was rediscovered in the library of the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Guatemala City in June 2005 and will open in an exhibition behind glass on Friday, December 9 at 8:00 p.m. in the Museo Moderno Arte Marco Agusto Quiroa of Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, La Antigua Guatemala.

The exquisite watercolors of the Antigua Calendar have graced thousands of homes and offices around the world since 2002. Now the collection of 52 originals is on sale, all framed and of calendar size.