Mayan queens represent Guatemalan states at festival – in pictures

Photographer Rodrigo Abd manipulates a 19th-century style wooden box camera to photograph a participant in the Rabin Ajau folkloric festival. They had to hold still for up to two minutes as Abd made exposures with light shining directly from the lens on to photo paper inside the box camera Photograph: Jesus Cuque Lopez/AP

Rodrigo Abd taking a picture of a negative print with the 19th-century style wooden box camera he bought in Afghanistan Photograph: Moises Castillo/AP

A selection of Rodrigo Abd's photographs of Mayan queens representing Guatemalan states, taken with a 19th-century style wooden box camera. The contestants, aged between 14 and 26 years, go through numerous rounds of competition, including a speech that must be given in their native dialect and Spanish Photograph: Moises Castillo/AP

Mayan queen Natalia Rosmely Panjoj Saquic, 20, representing Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, Quiché Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Mayan queen Juana Choc Tzop, 18, representing Ixcán, Quiché Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Mayan queen Elvy Yolanda Feliciano Ramirez, 16, representing Comitancillo, San Marcos state Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Mayan queen Matilde Evelyn Ivonne Tzunec Bixcul, 19, representing Sololá state Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Mayan queen Matilde Teresa Bol Maas, 16, representing Lanquín, Alta Verapaz state Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Mayan queen Maria Magdalena Lucas Lopez, 21, representing San Pedro Soloma, Huehuetenango state Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Mayan queen Teresa Gonzales Ixtetela, 18, representing San Pedro la Laguna, Sololá state Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Mayan queen Heidi Sofia Chitop Grave, 15, representing San Miguel Uspantán, Quiché Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP