Richard And Jo Demeester's photos with the keyword: Santiago

It's like he has his own private little mountain to look at.

They said it would be a nice piece of pork - we did not expect a whole leg of a pig.

These shelves looked well stocked. In reality, they are all stocked with tinned milk. There are a few other products available, but 3 or 4 kinds of tinned milk are stacked on about 16 shelves. In total, excluding the alcohol, there were no more than 10 or 12 products available in this supermarket. And this is an upmarket one, hard currency only, and no ration books needed.

On the rooftop of our Casa Particular, with the cathedral of Santiago poking out in the background.

Complete with Cuban revolutionary star.

Sorry to anyone who cares, but I forget exactly which brand of Russian car the body is. Our driver for the day was quick to point out that the motor was, however, a Lada. We did a trip to the property where Fidel Castro was born and spent his youth. We did it with some new Dutch friends, Anne and Sepkje.

Part god, part saint, part Catholic, part Mayan. This photo is Maximón of Santiago Atitlán, on the shore of Lago de Atitlán. There are quite a few in this corner of Guatemala. He looks different in different villages, and even goes by different names. But there are some constants. He's a bit of a chain smoker, with devotees replacing butts with a freshly lit cigarette as needed. Sometimes he even gets to have a cigar. Maximón also has a bit of an alcohol problem, whether it be expensive rum or a bottle of local firewater. It's no surprise that offerings seem to be mainly alcoholic or tobacco products. He has no permanent home. Each Easter, after festivities, another house in or around the town is chosen for Maximón to reside in for the following 12 months. Statues of more mainstream saints, and even of Christ, are kept with Maximón, and are ostensibly guards. Devotees also seem to enjoy a drink or two, and don't mind puffing on tobacco products, while chanting and making petitions to this strange character of enigmatic origin.