Antigua, Guatemala

Once the capitol of Guatemala, Antigua has a vast amount of history. From the Mayans to the Guatemalans themselves, Antigua is bustling with culture and rich heritage. The people, architecture and terrain all combine to throw you into a world all of its own.

Antigua is the centre of where the Mayan’s population first started. On many a street corner, there are markets vending priceless, hand made Mayan crafts. Some genuine and some not so genuine. Either way, they are truly beautiful. Animal masks, Mayan masks, religious statues, coffee, furniture and textiles. And do they do textiles. Little old ladies sitting in the shops, weavings in front of them, creating intricate stories with their yarn of vibrant colours. It’s what they are most famous for. The woman of the city still wear the native dress of textiles. What a throw back in a world full of Guccis and Pradas. It’s like a little runway show walking down the streets. Everyone wearing their own fashions, with baskets on top of their heads. But at the same time, no one notices as it is normal dress for the Guatemalans. 

Every building is no more than two stories tall and each connected to each other, only separated by a different colour of paint. As if the line where the paint changes colour on the outside of the building creates an imaginary line that divides each unit through out the inside as well. Most of the churches date back to the 1600’s and are some of the most beautiful ever seen around Central America. So well preserved. The colours are just as brilliant as you could image they were 400 years ago. And devout Catholics are they. I sat in one of the churches for a moment, breathing it in. A woman crawled by me up the aisle on her knees, slowly making her way toward the alter, mumbling a “Hail Mary” in Spanish as she went. I’d say it takes about 30-45 minutes and is considered to be a normal daily ritual.

Antigua is surrounded by three volcanic mountains, two of which are active. More earthquakes happen here than in Japan, although none happened while we were there for 4 days. But, one evening, one of the volcanoes did give an impromptu performance. It is said to go off quite often, but that it is better that it does this instead of lying dormant   for a long period of time and then giving a huge explosion that may cover the city in ash. I have never seen something so amazing. Through the night sky you could just barely see the outline of the volcano in the distance. The lava and fire shot into the sky in small spurts. Towards the end, a large amount shot into the sky. Like hot melted chocolate, it oozed down the sides of the mountain, covering almost the entire mountain in red hot lava until all you saw was a blazing mountain in the midst of blackness all around. I wish I had a photo or something. Brilliant.

The public transportation that runs through the city is quite interesting. American school busses bought by individuals in Guatemala and painted. And by painted, I mean “pimped”. There is almost an unspoken competition to have the more elaborately decorated bus. And PACKED with people at any given time of the day. I would hate that kind of travel but I guess if you grow up with that as the norm then you think nothing of it. 

Eating out in Antigua is alright. be careful as the food quality is not exactly the best. As in most of Central America, don’t drink the water. But there was an excellent restaurant that I ate at a few times. A little Americanized, but good. It’s called Tacontento. A Mexican restaurant that, based on my Mexican friend, has the best Mexican food. If you are looking for something a little more local, try Los Tacos by the artisan market in the middle of the city.  Don’t be confused by the name, they don’t sell tacos, nor do I really understand why they call themselves Los Tacos, but I digress; portions small but delicious and local. 

Now, Antigua is not all perfect. There is a lot of poverty going on. There is a definite separation of the “haves” and the “have nots”. One must be careful with your belongings. A lot of the poverty leads to stealing and trying to take advantage, so be careful. Don’t walk by yourself. But, if you keep an eye out, you can truly enjoy the people of Antigua and what they have to offer. One of my more entertaining memories was that of two octogenarian ladies in native dress, dancing to the sound of marimbas being played by a group of men. Just two ladies, enjoying what life has to offer, not a care in the world. 

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http://www.tacontento.com/

http://www.antigualist.com/content/49/