LatinArt-E Inc.- Welcome to our blog!

K’iche’ handmade bracelet collection – LatinArt-E Inc

latinarte — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:36:10 +0000

Guatemala, known as “ La tierra de la eterna primavera”- Tras. “Land of the eternal spring”, where the abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems extends into regions of Honduras and Nicaragua. Here we find some of the best kept secrets in handmade jewelry, crafted by small groups of women whose sole job is to create, these one of kind bracelets, by keeping the tradition and skills that have been passed down by previous generations.

K’iche’- part of the Maya language, is one of 24 indigenous dialects currently spoken in Guatemala and our source of inspiration for this launch. How was K’iche’ selected? Behind being the second most widely spoken language in the country, it is a beautiful dialect full of long vowels and similar in some instances to Spanish.

We felt it was important to project a little bit of history, and through several polls on our twitter page, our followers voted for something traditional that stayed close to the land. Following that note, we decided to name or collections after the simple principle of giving credit back to the land, the culture, and its beautiful heritage.

Introducing our new collections, soon to be available.

Juntir [all together]- This Collection brings you the elegance, boldness, and sense of unity in how this bracelet comes together. This one in Mamey Orange reflects the exotic elegance of the country side. Each bracelet also comes with three preset lock settings and a hand woven small bag.

Different colors and patterns will be available.

Chamin [now] – This collection brings you energy and passion. Made up of different strands of beads, accented with beautiful bold colors. This one is Seaside Blue reflects refreshing coast line. Each bracelet also comes with three preset lock settings and a hand woven small bag.

Different colors and patterns will be available.

Nabael [first born]- This collection is the purest of our collections. Giving you a wonderful fashion accent. Just pick the color that complements your mood and outfit. Each bracelet also comes with three preset lock settings and a hand woven small bag.

Different colors and patterns will be available.

When we first took on the responsibility of not only choosing the name, we also envisioned giving back to the land by sponsoring special programs for local schools and their teachers. This was not a business decision, but rather a matter of principle for us at LatinArt-E Inc. We are currently looking for onsite programs where proceeds will help the next generation.

Thank you for joining us.

If you have ahy questions, please feel free to email me at andy (at) latinart-e (dot) com

The following clip is of one of my favorite cities in Guatemala.

Acapulco- a place of big reeds. A Latin treasure….

latinarte — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:14:39 +0000

July 17^th and I hear the dreaded alarm clock in the distant, but today we welcomed the abrupt awakening. Today we leave for a 10 day trip into Mexico, to explore the state of Guerrero where one of the most exotic and tropical places exists; Acapulco.

Acapulco is officially known as Acapulco de Juárez; a major sea port on the Pacific coast of Mexico. Located on a deep, almost perfect semi-circular bay, Acapulco has enchanted many tourists with their world famous Cliff divers.

Acapulco Bay

Acapulco divers

Acapulco has a very special type of magic. Locals and foreigners continue to be enchanted by its natural beauty. Being a tropical paradise, Acapulco is full of life; literally because it never sleeps. It has one of the most comprehensive and complex nightlife schedules, well known globally. It resonates 24 hours a day.

There is so much to see and do around this paradise; a little bit of everything for every taste. You can spend your days going after heart pounding adventures, or simply allowing one of the local beaches to pamper you.

Follow the link to see what the nights have to offer NightLife.

Our beach near our rental home.

Zona Diamante is where we finally settled, the newest area of Acapulco offering amazing infrastructure with modern hotels, spectacular residences, condos, and private villas. Zona Diamante is limited in one of its extremes by the scenic road and it extends towards south of the town until the area known as “Barra Vieja”. Extremely convenient because it is located 15 minutes of Acapulco International Airport.

Acapulco Princess private beach

Princess Villas Beach

Acapulco Zona Diamante has about the fastest growing commercial developments in this sector. From the scenic road you can enjoy astonish views of the Pacific Ocean, and private villages. For you golfers, spectacular golf courses await.

Natural beauty

Peacock

Pacific Ocean

The Famous princess hotel

One of my favorite topics, of course, the local food. We were fortunate enough to have arranged for two locals to cook for us during our stay. It was one of the best investments we ever did because not only did we have the convenience of a home cooked meal, but we got the sample the typical local dishes.

Mojarra Frita (Fried Blue fin) This is to die for..seriously.

Mojarra with fresh salad- a must try in Mexico !!

Ceviche

Before this thought escapes my mind, the hospitality is second to none in Mexico. I have been and lived in other parts of Latin America and I can tell you that Mexico ranks #1. It is not uncommon at all to find individuals working at one location for more than twenty years; the difference lays in that they make it a life career. My wife has ran into people that were once waiters and have been promoted to “capitan” or captain; but the point is that they have made it a life long career to give the very best of themselves.

Until next time, this treasure remains open to anyone.

Bold colors, but what’s inside is what matters- Mexican Candy

latinarte — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:20:21 +0000

Latin American kids are lucky (that was us) in that they have a large assortment range of goodies to choose from. Following we focus on Mexican candy, delicious but also foreign from other parts of Latin America. Sweet, bold, creamy, finger licking, orgasmic, silky, crunchy, heavenly, delightful, are just a few of the many ways to describe Mexican candy. For us die hard fans it is simply the Big “O”…

DULCE DE LECHE – a much-loved Mexican treat. Meaning “milk candy,” dulce de leche is like caramel in taste and appearance. It can be eaten alone or as a topping for dishes such as Mexican ice cream or grilled bananas (my favorites). How do you make it? Boil sweetened condensed milk for several hours. Once you’ve made it, you can use it in dulce de leche flan, dulce de leche cheesecake or in a dulce de leche sauce recipe. But keeping the traditional approach here, Borrachitos need to be on your “must try before I die” list. The name Borrachito means “little drunk”, and in Latin America we will try to get away with anything where we can sneak in a little alcohol. These little fingers of dulce de leche (they call them nuggets) are up to 4% alcohol so beware.

Borrachitos- a must for your bucket list.

You'll need to show some ID

MAZAPAN -dulce de cacahuate or peanut confection. I’ve seen these little disks of mazapan all over Mexico, and a favorite of my wife. The ingredients are pretty simple and two thirds wholesome: peanuts and sugar and artificial flavors. Now, the very first time I tried one of these little guys it was nothing like I expected. The little creatures are very crumbly. When I opened my package, it cracked into several large pieces easily. One thing I absolutely love about Mazapan is that it smells wonderful, like peanut butter cookie dough. The taste is smooth and cool on the tongue, dissolving like peanut butter flavored icing. It’s sweet and these little guys can be found with Dulce de Leche filling- just imagine!

Get ready for the unexpected....

OBLEAS DE CAJETA- My all time favorite, I know I may have already used the word “favorite” in this post but can you blame me. This little treat from Mexico really shows how diverse candy can be and still be so very interesting. What you get here is caramel sandwiched between something that resembles a communion wafer, seriously. You might be asking, what’s the deal with the goat on the package. Well from what I understand the caramel in this treat is made from goat’s milk. This is a very special caramel, I’ve never had caramel like this in my life and add to that the fact that its goat’s milk caramel, now we all have something to talk about. I’ve only seen seen Obleas in the US at specialty markets, and authentic mexican restaurants. You need to try because with a really smooth, milky caramel and the subtle texture of the wafer you’ll be hard to only eat one.

The heavenly sandwich

small. medium, and large- what say you?

Seriously good

COCADA- Rollito de Coco (Coconut Candy Roll) is how it is normally sold. This is a cigar-shaped candy made specifically from the coconut. Each piece is a white roll with a brown strip, resembling toasted & burnt coconut shavings. It is very sticky, but the aroma is rich with coconut, if you are familiar with the macaroon. then you’ll know what I am talking about. They’re incredibly soft and easy to bite into with the interior being moist, as if this were fresh coconut you were eating. Yum !

The flavor is milky and you can pick up a tad of butter in there. This is a very refined candy in its sweetness, similar to how Mexican pastries and sweet breads have hints of sugar instead of over doing it. Coconut rolls are a sweet staple of Mexican candy, you can find them in a dizzying array of shapes and colors. We recommend that you try them all because they’re quite tasty treats. We’re certain you won’t have any problems with that recommendation.

Cocada

This is a just a short list of the most popular Mexican sweets, next time you find yourself in Mexico; take some time to look out for these delicacies. We’d love to hear some of your favorites and experiences, list them below.

Making Dulce de leche:

Latin handmade art- Guatemala the city of colors

latinarte — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:35:48 +0000

Guatemala, a culture of strong Mayan and Spanish influences. The contrast between poor Mayan villagers in the rural highlands, and the urbanized mestizos population who occupy the cities and surrounding agricultural plains is vast and deep as it is commonly found in other parts Latin America. Our focus takes us to the Mayan crafters, Indigenous women, who are talented; as you have seen in some of the bracelet work shown here- completely handmade and one of kind. However, there is a dark side to this short story. These group happens to be the most vulnerable group in society. Poverty and inequality are considerable, rates of literacy are low, and the women are often subjected to violence in their homes.

We found a group “DEMI (the ombudsman institution for Indigenous women)” who is working to strengthen women’s rights, for example through educational activities, and the provision of legal assistance and counseling services. Our hope is that through more education, we will continue to see the old craft traditions being passed to the new generations, better living conditions, and better access to nutrition.

One of my fondest memories as a young kid, takes me to the local markets in Guatemala where my father would take us on family vacations. These small adventures traveling from country to country left a long lasting and caring impression of several countries but especially of Guatemala, their people, heritage, and amazing handmade art. We are finally at a point in our lives where we can proudly say that we want to be part of the movement, and to make a difference by doing our part in supporting these groups by continuously giving work to produce these amazing handmade bracelets. It’s a mall step, but we are proud of it.

How would I describe Guatemala? Someone asked me once. I would say, Guatemala is the country of colors…

Antigua- Guatemala

US buses converted for local transportation

Mayan woman

San Felipe - Guatemala

Latin America- handmade for you

latinarte — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:35:48 +0000

As we continue to embark on this venture; it is very important to recognize why we are doing what we are doing. Having deep roots in Latin America and having experienced all the amazing handmade crafts, like handmade jewelry, handmade pottery, handmade woodcrafts, pewter, and so much more. We wanted to let you peek into a small window, where you will see some amazing pictures of rural Latin America. It is very important to us to highlight the talent and people behind each product; they are the silent artists you will find through Latin America.

Side Note: I believe that every day that we run into people that inspires us, perhaps we make an immediate connection with them, or simply get to know a master of creating a still picture that tells the world a story. Meet Ron Dubin, world photographer who has agreed to work with LatinArt-E Inc. to tell the world a story and create a window into Latin America. Ron your photography has inspired us, thank you for sharing it with the rest of us, and thank you for allowing us to use it.

Meet Ron http://www.rondubinphotography.com/

LatinArt-E Inc, your passport to Latin Americana and good taste.

young girl

Color fest

Tranquility

Frames

The bay

Smile of the sun

The market

Handmade jewelry- Handmade bracelets from Guatemala (Part II)

latinarte — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:33:43 +0000

I wanted to run a second post based on a number of inquiries we have received. LatinArt-E Inc. will be receiving its first batch of Guatemalan bracelets in the next couple of weeks. Each one of these unique bracelets are hand made in Guatemala by a a small group of talented indigenous women trying to support their work. We are fortunate to have been in contact with them , but most important we are proud to have placed our first order with them, supporting this unique trade. I have seen similar work in other parts of the Americas but never this detailed and elaborate. Thank you for allowing us to bring you this unique Guatemalan trade.

Queriamos sumar un segundo topico sobre las pulseras de Guatemala basado en un numero de preguntas que hemos recibido. LatinArt-E Inc. estara ya pronto recibiendo el primer cargamiento de puleras en las proximas dos semanas. Cada una de estas pulseras son unicas, hechas a mano por un groupo pequeno indigeno de mujeres en Guatemala. Nos sentimos afortunados de estar en contacto con ellas, y orgollusos de aver puesto nuestra primera orden, apoyandoles en estre trabajo tan unico. La verdad es que si hemos visto trabajo similar en otras partes de Latinoamerica pero nunca con este tipo de labor y detalle. Gracias por darnos la oportunidad de traerles este trabajo unico desde Guatemala.

Bracelet- Pulseras Guatemala

Bracelet / Pulseras Guatemala

Ceramic clocks- very cool

latinarte — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:56:01 +0000

We found a great blog on ceramic cloks- Shirley does a beautiful job on these pieces. We hope to get to know Shirley better.

She writes: “I started making ceramics clocks way back in 1999 when they were still a very novel item. In my earlier clocks I did away with numbers and instead started using partitions and curved surfaces more intutive to the ceramic process. The choice of different glazes a riot of colors also was meant to distinguish between the 12 parts.

This particular piece was fabulous, the glazes came beautifully subdued in the wood kiln.”

Pay her a visit at http://shirleybhatnagar.wordpress.com/

Ceramic cloks

ceramic clocks

The quilt saga- la saga de la colcha

latinarte — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:29:37 +0000

I found a very itersting blog about the journey of Julie and her quilt. Julie is a hadmakes her quilts and blogs to the world from Argentina. I had never come across or known anything about the creation of a quilt in such a fun descriptive as you will see on her blog. I would love to get a hold of one of her quilts and tell the world how great they are. Julie, keep up the great work; LatinArt-E Inc enjoys your work.

Encontre un blog que esta bastante interesante, se trata sobre la creacion de una colcha de Julie. Julie hace estas colchas a mano y las presenta al mundo por medio de su blog desde Argentina. Nunca habia encontrado algo similar donde la narracion descriptiva capta a la audiencia como lo veran en su blog. Me encantaria en un futuro cercano tener una de sus colchas y tambioen decirle al mundo que tan calientitas estan. Julie, te mandamos un saludo y animo para que sigas adelante; has captado a LatinArt-E Inc con tus colchas.

Julie's quilts

Continue to her blog here..http://juliealvarez.blogspot.com/

Handmade jewelry- Handmade bracelets from Guatemala (Part I)

latinarte — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:39:30 +0000

These handmade bracelets are made by indigenous women in a remote areas of Guatemala.

These come in different colors, shapes, and textures…we’ll have more samples to view soon.

Guatemalan- Handmade bracelet

Available colors, sizes, textures...

Flexible Pewter lines-

latinarte — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:56:56 +0000

Pewter-Pewter is an alloyed metal made primarily from tin, with a small component of lead, copper, bismuth, or antimony. It has been traditionally used to make tableware and decorative items. The metal is highly ductile, meaning that it can easily be worked, embossed, or carved. The malleable nature of pewter has been harnessed for thousands of years, at least since Roman times, and the metal was at one point highly prized.

Latin Art-E Inc. has in place two unbelievable individuals that can do magic with this material. The interesting part that we have found out is that most of the existing designs are not an exact match to the American market; therefore we are going to do something exciting. We are opening our emails to receive what you would like to see as far as designs, categories below. The winner will have their first name after the winning line and will receive the wining product for free.

Send your sketches, ideas, comments to andy (at) latinart-e.com

Pewter Art