The Best New Reason to Visit Guatemala. One afternoon last October, Rudy Weissenberg and Rodman Primack stood on a balcony in Zone 1, Guatemala City’s oldest neighborhood and historic center, taking in a view rich with contrasts and contradictions. A powder- blue sky gave way to fast- moving storm clouds that skimmed the cradle of volcanoes, as beautiful as they are ominous, which encircle the metropolis of more than two million. The skyline, with its neoclassical spires, angular concrete monoliths, and corrugated- tin roofs, stretched in jagged, implausible harmony. Down below was the Plaza de la Constituci. Making this vista all the more surreal was Weissenberg and Primack’s unique vantage point: The balcony jutted off the studio of their friend Dar. There are so many textures, so many layers you have to keep peeling away to understand the heart of this place.” Weissenberg, 4. ![]() ![]() ![]() He moved away to attend college in the States, where 1. Primack, who was raised in Southern California and Idaho. Ever since, the two have forged a compelling union as peripatetic homebodies, creating numerous lives—and more than a few extraordinary residences—together. After stints in London (Primack served as chairman of the Phillips auction house) and Los Angeles (where he worked for the Gagosian Gallery), they now have homes in New York and Miami, where Primack is the executive director of Design Miami, the furniture and objects fair that runs concurrent with Art Basel Miami Beach. Three years ago, they expanded their base to Guatemala so that Weissenberg, who has worked as a commodities trader and television producer, could help run his family’s businesses. They don’t have the intrigue and sense of possibility that exists here.”What both find particularly thrilling is the vibrant arts scene that has cropped up in a city which has long intimidated visitors, and is particularly fervent in Zone 1, a gritty cosmopolitan neighborhood where you still encounter women balancing baskets of fruit on their heads. Escobar, for instance, has become known internationally for his sculptural appropriations of everyday fixtures of Guatemalan culture—soccer balls, Ping- Pong paddles, the ornate chrome bumpers that festoon so many buses. That afternoon, he was working on a wall hanging for Art Basel Miami Beach—a series of hinged, wood- slatted rectangles painted pale blue, white, and black that was inspired by the multicolored trucks used to transport food into the city from the rural provinces. But if you look around, you’ll see that we apply this same search for beauty in things that are disposable.” Weissenberg and Primack have made collecting and championing the work of local artists something of a personal mission. ![]() ![]() ![]() Guided, all inclusive, Caravan Costa Rica vacation packages 1-800-227-2826; San Jose, volcanoes, hanging bridges, and Leatherback Turtle park on tour itinerary. Breezes Resort & Spa - Bahamas. Your source for discounted rates at Breezes Resort & Spa - Bahamas hotel, Breezes Resort & Spa - Bahamas resort, Breezes Resort & Spa. Discover Guatemala City’s most luxurious resort at the Vista Real Hotel. Outdoor gardens and first-class amenities make every guest feel like royalty. Luggage (What to bring with you) Mobile Phone Operators in Guatemala; Clothing & Footwear; Money; Tips; Safety; Important Phone Numbers; Health; Recommendations for. At this very moment, Guatemala’s past and present are on a collision course. And it’s about time. One afternoon last October, Rudy Weissenberg and Rodman Primack. They have a similar sculpture of Escobar’s hanging in the living room of their home in the hills overlooking Guatemala City, and are equally enthusiastic about artists still on the fringe. After visiting Escobar’s studio, they called on a couple who run an experimental product design studio, Fabrica, out of their home; later that evening, they attended an opening at a gallery called Espacio S1, located under a dive bar. The show featured an indigenous Mayan artist named Manuel Chavajay, who in muted watercolors and stark photographs explored Guatemala’s complicated history: civil war, endemic poverty, deforestation, and the oppression of its indigenous populations. While crime remains a major problem in Guatemala and is largely the reason visitors have tended to avoid the capital, Weissenberg says it has ebbed in recent years as the economy has improved, making the city a place ripe for exploration—like Mexico City before the hype. He and Primack were on their way to La Erre, an avant- garde arts center in a former industrial warehouse, to meet with founder Andr. A burly, sardonic guy, he also publishes a biannual magazine, Revista RARA, that’s become a bible for the underground art crowd. In the wake of the mass protests that packed the central plaza last year, the former president, Otto P. That an arts scene was emerging during a time of feverish change was not a coincidence. The people are starting to find their voice.” The Best Resorts in Central and South America: Readers' Choice Awards. Weissenberg was behind the wheel of his SUV, navigating hairpin turns in the fog- shrouded highlands outside the city. We made a stop at Fuentes Georginas, a natural hot springs said to have healing powers, on our way into Xela, a stunning neoclassical city 1. Guatemala City. Yet even here, in a comparably sleepy town, there were traces of the same creative energy found in the capital. Down a dirt road in what could only nominally be called a neighborhood, Weissenberg and Primack met up with Jos. In Antigua, his aunt Pilar Weissenberg runs a sprawling coffee plantation that she’s opened up to the public for yoga and wellness retreats. Next, Weissenberg and Primack visited with Manuel Chavajay, the Mayan artist whose show we had attended in Guatemala City. After a tour of his studio, a humble space surrounded by papaya trees and dense coffee plants, we all took part in a Mayan fire ceremony at the house of a local shaman—a four- hour ritual during which hundreds of candles were lit and the earthy scent of copal incense filled the room, leaving everyone in a contemplative trance.“I mean, where else in the world can you have a day like that?” Weissenberg said to no one in particular. Eventually, Primack had to travel back to the States for work, but Weissenberg wanted to push on to El Mirador, an ancient Mayan settlement in the impenetrable jungle along the country’s border with Mexico. Unlike Tikal, Guatemala’s most famous ruin, El Mirador is not an easy place to reach; the majority of the 4,0. A family friend of Weissenberg’s, Nini Novella de Berger, who has played a pivotal role in the site’s restoration, sent a helicopter for us. She bought a decommissioned research camp near the ruins, set beside the San Pedro River, and converted it into Las Guacamayas, a charmingly rustic hotel. There we met Richard Hansen, an American archaeologist who during a 1. ![]() ![]() We spent hours wandering the jungle as he pointed out various sites that he and his team had excavated over the years—an irrigation system with ornate carvings in the limestone; narrow corridors lined with fragments of pre- . As the roar of howler monkeys ricocheted through the canopy above, we made our way to La Danta, El Mirador’s central pyramid and one of the largest in the world. A steep, precarious staircase brought us to the peak, which rose above the tree line and offered a 3. Your source for discounted rates at Rendezvous hotel, Rendezvous resort, Rendezvous vacations and Rendezvous vacation in Castries St. Just a 3-minute walk from the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses and bay area, La Vista Hakodate features natural hot-spring baths and a healing spa. Welcome to Camino Real Corporation, Guatemala’s largest hotel group. During the past 50 years, we have operated six successful hotels in the country and. ![]() Escobar’s balcony. Just standing here, you can feel how it all stems from the same place.” He shook his head, grasping for words.
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