The picture at the bottom of this article is from a recent visit to the cultural center at La Azotea in Antigua, Guatemala — the information is first provided in Spanish, and then in English.
ARPA DIATONICA
Las arpas de la zona de Verapaz y Chiapas tienen entre 22y 32 cuerdas, las cuales se templan manualmente y tienen una caja de resonanacia grande. La caja es golpeada por un nino con sus manos, o con un pato de madera forrado con hule o tela en la punta, para anadir donido de percusion al conjunto musical.
Las arpas diatonicas tienen un amplio rango de tonalidades, pero estan limitadas a notas de un solo tono, El arpa diatonica se usa para llevar la melodia y el ritmo. Se toca con dedos, pero algunas veces se usa un plectro (pieza delgada y pequena de marfil i madera, para tocar un instrumento de cuerda).
DIATONIC HARP
Harps from the Verapaz and Chiapas regions have 22 to 32 strings with manual tuning and a large resonator box. The resonator is usually beaten by a young boy with his hands or with a rubber or cloth tipped wooden stick to add percussion sound to the ensemble.
The diatonic harps have a large range but are limited to notes of a single key. The harp is used to play the melodic line as well as the rhythm part. It is usually played with fingers, but sometimes with a plectrum (a small thin piece of ivory or wood used to pluck a stringed instrument).
