You can’t get any more Guatemalan than this- at least at celebrations and festivals. There is always something in the air in Guatemala- sometimes it is gunfire, sometimes fireworks, but noise and smoke are as much a part of the culture of the country as are the beauty and the smiles of the people. In this photo, a graduate student from The New School, who was taking part in an exchange program in partnership with CARE, sets off a mortar that smokes and explodes to great effect- as long as it goes straight up. I once saw one fall over and blast the man who had lit the fuse. Hospital time for him.