The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2022

Please submit your favorite, recent photograph to be considered for Local Lens. Images must be high resolution (at least 300 dpi at 8” x 10”, or 1 MB or larger) and must not be in print elsewhere. Include a short description of the scene/event, as well as your name, brief biodata and the type of camera used. Send to locallens@afsa.org . BY CAITLIN HARTFORD n PANCHIMALCO, EL SALVADOR Caitlin Hartford serves as the fraud prevention manager in San Salvador. With two years in El Salvador and two more years to go, she and her husband, Tim, find this smallest of the Central American countries to be the most vibrantly colorful place they’ve ever lived. A hobby photogra- pher, Caitlin wants to show the world the beauty she sees in the Salvadoran people and places. This photograph was taken in early 2021 with an Apple iPhone 11 Pro. S een through the open doors of an upstairs balcony, a young woman waits outside the colorful Casa de la Cultura in Panchimalco, El Salvador, a town that rests in a protected spot deep in a valley, overlooked by the rocky peak of Puerto del Diablo (Devil’s Door). Panchimalco prides itself on strongly maintaining its indigenous heritage, as displayed in its annual festivals combining Christian and pre- Columbian customs. The town is bringing its cultural heritage into the modern era as it makes its mark as an artistic center, focusing especially on youth involvement in the arts. n 98 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LOCAL LENS