Antigua

Antigua was Guatemala’s capital when the country was at the height of its power during the 18th century. The regal city was on the same stature of Lima, Mexico City and other administrative centers in the Spanish dominion. And from the looks of what is left today, the Spanish put a whole lot of resources into making this town grand.


But, in keeping with so much of Guatemala’s tragic history, earthquakes had another plan for Antigua. Tremors wrecked the city several times, and finally the capital was moved to its current location. While less earthquake prone, the current capital is drab in comparison.


To us foreigners, Antigua is an anomaly. Imagine if when the World Trade Towers fell, New York decided to keep the rubble and everyone else fled. Antigua has only now begun to repopulate, but all its grand history is piled high everywhere you turn. The ruins are just endless, leaving us awestruck. Instead of seeing replicas in a museum, we climbed through the pillars of dinning halls used by monks in the 18th century. Locals frequently picnic, play soccer and lollygag in these marble wonders.


Antigua is over-touristed, but its worth bumping elbows with the yuppies to see history so haphazardly presented in three-dimensions.

 

Antigua’s emblematic scene—the arch of Santa Catalina—that graced many a Guatemala guidebook.
It was built in the early 17th century so the nuns wouldn’t have to be exposed to the “pollution” of the outside world.

 

 

Peering into the convent of Santa Teresa, originally housing Carmelite nuns and now inmates [and a stalk of corn] as the city jail.

 

There were so many ruins I started to lose track: these spanned blocks to the north and west of the zocolo.

 

Two of the few churches that were restored to function. The first is the Cathedral of San Jose, which is only a façade after earthquakes
took down its walls. The guts are being meticulously restored today. The yellow church is the plateresque La Merced.

 

Protecting the tourists outside the city hall.

 

The stunning Pacya volcano from our hotel window and the San Jeronimo ruins, a former school that now hosts classical music concerts.

 

We petted his nose until his owner returned.

 

Vistas from within two ruins.

 

The phenomenal La Recoleccion church, a complex of tall, vast ruins that also functions as a popular park.

 

Quite a backdrop for a pickup soccer game.

 

San Francisco, one of the few ruined churches to come back into service, still boasts impressive decay in its former monastery.
The kitchen and dinning hall archways stayed intact, but are sunken below the earth.

 

This gentleman appointed himself our tour guide of the Las Capuchinas ruins that, being Antigua’s most complicated and intricate
was helpful. The nuns here lived a joyless life—they had no contact with the outside world and their existence was almost totally confined
to their small chambers. But the engineering of the convent was ingenious with complex sanitary systems and an underground storage facility.

 

Mausoleums in a private cemetery; woman brought their washing to the Parque Union to use its public laundry facilities.

 

Working on the roof of Las Capuchinas.