National Indigenous Queen of Guatemala portraits

I was struck by the beauty of these portraits done on a vintage box camera by Associated Press photographer Rodrigo Abd. The article published in today's SF Chronicle and can be seen on SFGate.com, depicted these wonderful images of woman vying for the title National Indigenous Queen of Guatemala, who is honored for helping keep alive the country's rich Mayan history. I tried to limit the images to 5 of my favorites but i wasn't able to. Each woman possesses something special, sometimes it was the attitude, the pose, what she was wearing, or a particularly striking facial feature.

Rosa Lidia Aguare Castro, 23 years old, Mayan Queen winner

The winner of this year's contest, 23-year-old Rosa Lidia Aguare Castro, is from Santa Lucia La Reforma, about four hours' drive from the capital of Guatemala City.

She said she and everyone else there speak the language of K'iche' and make it a point to learn their community's centuries-old dances.

During the contest, Aguare Castro wore a striped wool fabric folded over her hair. Like the others, she danced and explained in both her native language and Spanish how she lived as a 21st-century Mayan.

For a country where about 40 percent of people identify themselves as indigenous, the title of National Indigenous Queen is a major honor, equal to or more prestigious than winning the annual Miss Guatemala crown.

I keep returning to the idea of doing portraits - I need to turn that idea into something more.