Kidnapping the Bride Painting Signed Guatemalan Fine Art, "They Are Stealing the Girl"

"I like to show our ancestors' traditions through my art, so that our children realize how different is their life compared to my generation, and older," confides Filiberto Chali. Painting with oils, he tells the story of how a young woman is stolen from her parents' home by her boyfriend and his friends. The only witness to the event is a man with a couple of bottles, perhaps not the most reliable of witnesses.

Kidnapping brides used to be a fairly common practice in San Juan Comalapa, Chali's hometown. The reason for taking her could be anything, from her being underage, her parents not allowing the union, or her not wanting to marry the groom. By kidnapping her, the parents were ultimately obliged to allow their union lest she be deemed unchaste by everyone else. Today the custom continues, but only when there is consent, and then the festivities ensue.

Titled "Se Roban a la Muchacha" in Spanish.