GuatemalaDailyPhoto

On Sunday there was article published on the New York Times entitled How About Gardening or Golfing at the Mall? which basically covered the rise and fall of the shopping mall all across the United States.

Here are some interesting trivia from the article:

• A new enclosed mall has not opened in the United States since 2006…
• The vacancy rate at shopping centers and strip malls was 11 percent in the last quarter of 2011, the highest level since 1991…
• Schools, medical clinics, call centers, government offices and even churches are now standard tenants in malls…

It seems that current mall decline affecting the U.S. has not affected Guatemala City where mols, malls, are popping everywhere. However, malls in Guatemala have always been more diverse, where there are clinics, schools, call centers, banks, beyond the typical retail venues. Nowadays, centro comerciales are also full of children play areas, in many case providing artificial and safe parks.

If you have to wait for anything, especially bank transactions, it’s better if you wait with a friend and catch up with the latest news. That was the case of these two women who were waiting for third one who was inside the bank doing some transactions. They seemed to be worry free while the laugh and chit chatted for a little while. The photo was taken inside the Eskala commercial center in Mixco.

The Revolution of October 20, 1944 was a civic-military movement occurred in Guatemala, led by the military, students and workers, which overthrew the military government of General Federico Ponce Valdes, led to the first free elections in the country, and inaugurated a period of ten years to modernize the State the benefit of the majority of working class. Subsequent historiography has called this period as the “Ten Years of Spring” or the “Golden Age” of Guatemala, and now on October 20 a national holiday, commemorated as the “Day of Revolution 1944.”

About the Revolution, we have a road and a monument in Mixco, which also goes unnoticed in the middle of traffic chaos.

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In the hectic life of capitalinos (Guatemala City residents) there is no time to eat healthy; fast food chain “Pollo Campero” is everywhere, they offer fried chicken, among other things. Once a year does not hurt or maybe it does.

In the photograph one of the many restaurants located in La Florida, Mixco that belongs to township Guatemala.

Here’s the thing: I’m not entirely sure but I would say that you don’t find postcards from Mixco and I think: Why not? So, It looks like theres even a market in this Mixco photo thing. It’s a typical cold afternoon, people put everything on the roofs of their houses and that’s exactly what you want to show, right?

Mixco is a what we call municipio in Guatemala. Located at the west end of town.

This is the monthly theme day organized by the Daily Photo community which has decided to have as theme for August 1, postcard-worthy images.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.