“All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space. ” – Philip Johnson
Reaching towards the sky….lies the impressive building which hosts the Museo de Arte Colonial in Antigua.
Antigua’s long tumultuous history of natural catastrophes have left a bittersweet mark on this nearly 500-year-old city. Founded in March 10, 1543 by the Spanish conquistadors Antigua became the third capital of Guatemala and the capital remained there for over 200 years until death and destruction struck too many times.
In 1717 a devastating earthquake struck the area, demolishing over 3,000 buildings and leaving the gorgeous colonial city in ruins. Over time, churches and buildings were rebuilt in force while Antigua continued to grow in power and prestige despite the geographical hazards and continual rumblings. It took an even more devastating earthquake, which struck on July 29, 1773, to finally force the Guatemalan government to pack their bags and move the capital once again, this time to Guatemala City where it remains today.
What makes Antigua so incredibly striking and fascinating is that like the ancient city of Rome, the ruins remain. Behind every gorgeous, serendipitous church can be found an equally impressive, spectacular set of ruins that give the visitor a glimpse of what once laid there hundreds of years before. It can be argued that the ruins are in fact what make this city so incredibly divine. Yes, the cobblestone streets, the three triangular volcanoes, a vibrant indigenous culture and colorfully painted buildings are sensational. Yet, the ruins which are barren and open up naked to the sky, are beyond imagination.
Judge for yourself and take a walk with me through the ruins of Antigua.
My first and only full day in Antigua was a full day indeed. And it was also a day that I will not forget. One of those truly memorable days while traveling that makes traveling so delightful and so addicting. The day included a non-stop fast speed tour of Antigua’s main sites with my blogging friend and local Antigua resident Lucy, and well over 400 pictures each. In fact, so much transpired during that one day in time that I need to break down my posts on Antigua into different topics. The first and easiest one to pursue is my eventful morning in lovely, picturesque Antigua.
The well known landmark and arch, Arco de Santa Catalina was awaiting my arrival.
Finding the perfect Bed and Breakfast (B&B) in Antigua is no easy task. The picturesque UNESCO World Heritage City boasts tons of excellent, beautiful hotels and B&Bs, ranging from very affordable to quite pricey. I knew that after a week’s stay with a large host family in Xela that I would want something nice, quiet and convenient to the center of town. So I did what I always do while planning a trip: Consulted my two favorite hotel sources, Lonely Planet and Trip Advisor.
Finding the right hotel or B&B is always something I do before leaving on a trip. Other than that, I usually don’t do a lot of other planning before going somewhere new because I like to discover it for myself and figure out once I’m there how to organize my day. Since hotel research is my only real trip planning I thoroughly enjoy it and use my time online perusing the various hotels and comparing each one by looking at the photos and reading the comments from past guests. It is my time to get excited about venturing to a new place and picture myself there.
My home away from home while in Antigua.
I have always been fascinated by signs, especially when I travel. Signs can be a work of art or a simplistic view into an unknown culture. They can be fun, fanciful, beautiful or rather plain. But they are always one thing: A glimpse into the life of a place, whether it be a home, a building, a store or a country.
Here are some of my favorite signs that I found during my recent stay in Guatemala.
The week of Semana Santa (“Holy Week”) is considered the most important cultural and religious event in all of Guatemala. Semana Santa has a long, rich history, which began over 400 years ago as Catholicism spread throughout Guatemala due to the Spanish Conquistadors. Today, Semana Santa can be viewed throughout all of Guatemala, however, there is no city more important during this sacred week than Antigua. It can be argued that Antigua has perhaps the largest, most traditional and famous Holy Weeks in the world. Thousands of tourists flock to Antigua during Semana Santa to witness the spectacular religious processions, alfombras (“carpets”), fabulous floats and vigils. It is said to be an experience of a lifetime.
Unfortunately my trip was timed a month too early. The height of Semana Santa happens the week before Easter. However, little did I know that smaller scale celebrations start on Ash Wednesday at the beginning of Lent. Thus during my short stay in Antigua I was able to capture a glance at the magic and sensational beauty of Semana Santa.
Above is a glimpse of a spectacular Alfombra. Alfombras are made of sawdust or sand dyed in brilliant colors and carefully constructed as a work of art.
I finished my last class of Spanish and my week in Xela on a Friday afternoon. It was a bittersweet feeling. Saying goodbye to Xela, my class and my host family for the week proved harder than I imagined. Yes, it was only a week. But the week was way too short and quite frankly, not enough time. It felt like just as I was finally fitting in and understanding the world around me, it was time to go. Plus I knew in my heart that even just another week would have greatly improved my spanish. Seeing how much I had gone in a mere week was astonishing. I realized that true immersion is far better than any college course. It is the only way to go.
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Like most Guatemalan cities, Quetzaltenango (Xela) is centered around a large glorious Catholic church. Espiritu Santo Cathedral was founded in 1535 after the Spanish conquered the city of Xela and has remained the heart and blood of the city ever since. It is located in the parque centroamerica and can be seen well above the city from numerous vantage points.
Although Guatemala is predominantly Catholic, many other religions have established themselves throughout the country thanks to missionaries. You can find loads of evangelist churches and even Mennonite communities as well as Mormons. In fact, you can find any religious establishment except Jewish or Muslim. For some reason, I found this surprising.
Most churches in Guatemala are either dove white or brilliant yellow-gold. The architecture was sensational of course and the churches instantly became a focus of my attention for numerous pictures. Here are some of my favorites.
Here is Xela’s centerpiece, Espiritu Santo.
It is not possible to wake up at 4:30 am, hike a volcano and not follow up with an immediate visit to most popular natural spa in all of Guatemala. The plan to go immediately to Fuentes Georginas proceeding my volcano climb popped into my head during the knee-aching, slippery descent of Santa Maria. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the remainder of the day, rewarding my tired body and soul, and soaking in one of the four hot pools of Fuentes Georginas located in the mountains nearby.
View from the Top: Xela lies thousands of feet below.
“Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” -Ed Viesturs climber and author of “No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World’s 14 Highest Peaks”
After my surreal experience on top of Santa Maria volcano, witnessing my first live volcanic eruption just a few thousand feet below my perch on a jagged rock, it was time to say goodbye. Heading back is always the anti-climax of a hike, especially a good one in which you reach your peak and for that moment in time you are on top of the world. But as I always say, all good things must come to an end. It was time to head back.
The start of our descent….you can see terraced farmland first, followed by the town of Xela far below.
“No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied — it speaks in silence to the very core of your being”. —-Ansel Adams
Around 10:30, five hours after starting our hike up the dark and slippery path of the Santa Maria Volcano we had finally arrived at her pointed peak. The clouds had started to form and blanket the valley of Xela thousands of miles below. Yet fortunately they hadn’t fully conquered the peak. There was still a spectacular view of the surrounding volcanoes and valley beneath.
As we approached our resting spot for an early lunch I was perplexed by a low humming sound. The sound of voices, high and low, big and small, filled up the empty open space around me. As we come closer to the noise I realized with amazement that it was a human chain of chanting. The Mayans were singing their prayers to their gods. The voices of their chants flowed smoothly together making a monotonous tone at times, entrancing me and captivating my soul.
“The Beauty of the Mountain is hidden for all those who try to discover it from the top, supposing that, one way or an other, one can reach this place directly. The Beauty of the Mountain reveals only to those who climbed it…” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
View of the grand Santa Maria volcano off in the distance as I was leaving Xela via shuttle on my way to Antigua.
There are things you’ll experience in Guatemala that will stay with you forever: the smell of a freshly grilled tortilla; the assault-on-all-senses of a jungle trek; the people you bump into on the road and become lifelong friends…..In the west, a volcano looms on almost every horizon, almost begging to be climbed. (Opening lines in the introduction to Guatemala, Lonely Planet 2010).
It was with these words, “almost begging to be climbed” that I joyously opted to skip my already-paid for Spanish class on Wednesday and wake up at the break of dawn to climb Guatemala’s fourth highest volcano, Santa Maria (elevation 3772 m/12,375 feet). It didn’t matter that I was utterly exhausted nor that I didn’t have the right gear. All that mattered was there was an enormously, inviting volcano begging to be climbed. There was no way I wasn’t going to climb it.
