by Jane Binaris; photos by Tomas Cernikovsky
Had Joyce Kilmer strolled today’s Alameda Santa Lucía
in La Antigua Guatemala, his famous odeto- tree would have read, “I think
that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree, surrounded by a wrought-iron
grill, filled with blooming flowers. And, I am giving one to someone special
for Christmas!”
Smart poet! He would have selected the perfect Christmas gift:
beautiful, ever-lasting, monumental, enjoyed by thousands. Kilmer cannot, but
you can ... if you hurry ... sponsor your own tree, complete with a flower garden
on the Alameda to enjoy, to give to a friend, grandchild or as a memorial.
But first, let’s back up a few years to when all this
began.
When Tomas and Barbara Cernikovsky moved to their new home
on the alameda in Antigua from New York City in 2000, they beautified the center
of this doublewide boulevard by painting the trunks of the hundreds of trees,
from San Jeromino to the Santa Lucía church, white. In May 2001 Tomas
and Barbara installed the first four plantings within grills in front of their
home, soon adding four more. The effect was electric, and the Proyecto de Jardinización
de la Alameda Santa Lucía, Antigua took form.
Here is how it works: Individuals and owners of small and
large businesses, banks, restaurants, etc. sponsor a tree or trees, paying Q600
for the installation of each wrought-iron fence surrounding the flowers then
planted within. The Cernikovskys’ gardener Elio takes out the hard-pack
dirt and weeds, puts in topsoil, plants, fertilizes and waters as needed. Flowers
and trees that die are replaced, and routine repairs are made as necessary.
Before and After: Gardens bloom on the
Alameda Santa Lucía. Jan. 2003 (top)
and Aug. 2004 (bottom)
“When we first started the project,” muses Tomas,
“I was seen by our immediate neighbors as the crazy gringo literally throwing
money down the hole. I had approached the former mayor who said that such projects
had been tried and never worked, that all my flowers would be stolen and we
would soon abandon the idea. Frankly, for a few months I felt like doing so.
People stole flowers every night. I had all-night security for a year and a
half which I finally gave up, and strangely enough about that same time people
pretty much stopped stealing the flowers.”
“Each tree sponsor receives a handsome membership sign
proclaiming them a ‘Miembro del Proyecto de Jardinización de
la Alameda Santa Lucía’ to hang in front of their home or
business, and their names are listed in the membership brochure. When I want
to sell another garden, I show the signs on their neighbors’ houses, which
makes the sale much easier. When someone is fouling or mistreating a garden,
I show them two or three signs on neighboring doors and they quickly realize
that this is a neighborhood project.”
As community pride took hold, less and less was garbage removal
an issue—that is until the open air restaurants in front of the Compañía
de Jésus moved to the alameda. Now the gardens in the block fronting
Pollo Campero, the post office and the monument to Rafael Landívar are
getting a lot of garbage dumped on them. “We clean the garbage out daily,
but they dump it faster than we can clear it,” explains Tomas.
However, he is quick to add that a solution may be at hand
that includes relocating the food vendors currently selling on the alameda.
“Antigua Mayor Antonio Siliézar recently proposed an architectural
design in which 20 food stands will be built along the southern wall of Pollo
Campero. His plan includes 10 new gardens. We’ll include them in our project,
plant trees and flowers, but he will make sure garbage is removed.”
When the Proyecto de Jardinización de la Alameda
Santa Lucía, Antigua was founded in 2001 there were 162 trees needing
care and gardens to be planted. To date 137 gardens have been installed. Ten
more gardens added to the project leaves a total of 35 gardens still in need
of patrons. One may eventually come up on e-Bay, but best act now.
To learn more about the project, view before and
after photographs, see whom you know is already a proud owner, and read past
REVUE articles about the gardening of the Alameda, visit http://www.cernikovsky.com/alameda.htm.
Once you are convinced that this indeed is the perfect Christmas gift, contact
cernikovsky@hotmail.com or telephone
7832-8466 to make your purchase.
