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Post by kerouac2 on May 29, 2018 5:12:39 GMT
Antigua is the former royal capital of Guatemala, but there were just too many earthquakes in the 18th century. Although the Catholic church kept insisting that it was divine punishment for the sins of the population but the church authoriries must have been pretty bad sinner, too, because all of the religious buildings were destroyed as well, so the capital was moved to what is now Guatemala City in 1776.
The city has been mostly rebuilt since then -- and partly destroyed various times, particularly in 1917 and 1976. So far, the 21st century has spared Antigua but for how long?
In any case, Antigua is one of the principal tourist destinations in the country and is easy to reach from Guatemala City, which is only 40 kilometres away. Of course, due to traffic and road conditions, that means at least an hour and more often an hour and a half to get there.
I arrived at the end of the day when the light was fading, but I could not prevent myself from taking a few photos anyway, starting at the Plaza Mayor/Parque Central.
s19.postimg.cc/bc2b5er4j/Guatemala_2018_118.jpg
This pickup truck full of Americans/Europeans was just arriving and shows the incredible contrast in the size of the people.
s19.postimg.cc/857rlsm43/Guatemala_2018_119.jpg
On the weekend, the main street is closed to traffic. Unfortunately, the chains are removed during the week.
s19.postimg.cc/yqaahcgrn/Guatemala_2018_120.jpg
The city is laid out in a completely square grid, and the streets are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. so it's pretty difficult to get lost.
s19.postimg.cc/97hy4dunn/Guatemala_2018_121.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/60nekrhxf/Guatemala_2018_122.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/eiwup26fn/Guatemala_2018_123.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/dgmo6ivc3/Guatemala_2018_124.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/vw753yrgz/Guatemala_2018_125.jpg
s19.postimg.cc/4lltw0e9f/Guatemala_2018_126.jpg
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Post by bixaorellana on May 29, 2018 5:48:25 GMT
Oh, I always heard that Antigua is really pretty and your pictures bear that out. The clock arch framing the domed church(?) is lovely.
What's the deal with the stations of the Cross statues?
The ice cream vendor shot is wonderful.
Looking forward to more!
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Post by kerouac2 on May 29, 2018 10:26:34 GMT
I don't know why those statues are stored there.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 29, 2018 10:35:46 GMT
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Post by mossie on May 29, 2018 10:59:32 GMT
Yet another exotic location, you really do get around.
And the statues are safely locked away to stop them patrolling the streets and herding the inhabitants into the churches.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 29, 2018 11:45:19 GMT
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Post by bjd on May 29, 2018 15:06:23 GMT
What? No golden arches? The garden is nice, except for that stupid-looking clown on the bench.
I saw that Ecuadorians were small, but from your photo of local Guatemalans in the same place as the gringos, it seems they are even shorter.
Anyway, these pictures are all interesting. Keep it up.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 29, 2018 15:43:33 GMT
The soft colors of the buildings are so pretty, as is the hotel patio. And that cake icing detail on the church is really something. It's always thrilling to see volcanoes, isn't it? I really like seeing the famous chicken buses of Guatemala. You hear a lot about them, but the reality is fancier and better. And what a good eye you have -- I love the picture of the traditional clay tejas teamed with the modern extruded version.
Yeah, it definitely looks as though Guatemala has gone the way of Mexico in embracing convenience non-foods along with the attendant obesity and diabetes. I also note in a couple of the younger women the shedding of the traditional clothing.
McDonald's certainly nailed some prime real estate in the heart of Antigua!
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Post by mich64 on May 29, 2018 19:15:32 GMT
The buses are fabulous. Also that outdoor patio area for the McDonald's restaurant has a spectacular view! I also liked the rooftop bar, another great view.
The night time photo of the church is lovely.
I enjoy it when a hotel has an interior courtyard, a quiet place to come to after a busy day of markets and sightseeing.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 29, 2018 22:09:20 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 29, 2018 22:15:19 GMT
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Post by fumobici on May 30, 2018 4:36:49 GMT
Just wow, K. I'm eating this up. I really didn't know what to expect from this report but it is unfolding quite beautifully so far.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 30, 2018 5:04:40 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on May 30, 2018 5:13:14 GMT
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Post by bjd on May 30, 2018 5:51:40 GMT
Those last pictures remind me of Bixa's photos of Oaxaca.
What a contrast between the fancy hotels with their perfect courtyards and the street outside with woman and her baby selling fruit.
Was the weather permanently cloudy? You mentioned the volcano being clouded over in the afternoons, but it doesn't seem that you had much sunshine.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 30, 2018 6:19:51 GMT
The wooden galleries on the Spanish cultural center are attractive, but somewhat odd. Do you suppose they're replacements for masonry that fell to earthquakes & time?
Everything is so lush! The mists and fogs seem to make for great growing conditions.
The carved wooden heads attached to cloth dummy bodies are disconcerting. How big were they? The articulated saints, on the other hand, are brilliantly photogenic and fascinating.
Antigua appears to have underground wiring!
Great pictures.
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Post by mossie on May 30, 2018 7:14:06 GMT
The half man half stool really took me back to the hostel when i was 16. One wouldhear someone speak, but at first glance there was noone there, then you would notice a head down by your hip. We had a handyman who kept the place tidy, did the laundry, etc. He was cut short at the waist and was mounted on a wooden tray with castors at each corner. He propelled himself along by his arms and could swing himself up the stairs faster than you could walk up .
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Post by kerouac2 on May 30, 2018 11:44:16 GMT
Was the weather permanently cloudy? You mentioned the volcano being clouded over in the afternoons, but it doesn't seem that you had much sunshine. May is the rainiest month in Guatemala, so there were plenty of clouds in the sky at all time, even when it was sunny. But it only rained on my very last day, except for a few showers in the middle of the night when it didn't matter. |
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Post by kerouac2 on May 30, 2018 12:04:16 GMT
The wooden galleries on the Spanish cultural center are attractive, but somewhat odd. Do you suppose they're replacements for masonry that fell to earthquakes & time? Everything is so lush! The mists and fogs seem to make for great growing conditions. The carved wooden heads attached to cloth dummy bodies are disconcerting. How big were they? The articulated saints, on the other hand, are brilliantly photogenic and fascinating. Antigua appears to have underground wiring! Great pictures. Here is about all I can tell you about the Spanish centre:
It was restored starting in 1992 and opened in 1996. I suspect that the wooden galleries are part of a modern design.
The carved wooden heads are probably close to life size, based on the real life clothing they are wearing.
Yes, the wiring is underground in Antigua, but I think that's the case in most historically restored areas these days. The city was declared a national monument in 1944 and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 -- that's when things became very strict in the historical area. I only showed McDonald's, but all of the other fast food chains had locations in Antigua and they were all just as invisible from the outside, which is quite certainly one of the requirements for their acceptance. My only criticism of the restoration is that the streets and sidewalks are very hard on the feet, even when wearing good shoes. It would have cost a bit more, but they could have used flatter stones.
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Post by kerouac2 on May 30, 2018 12:52:11 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 30, 2018 15:25:06 GMT
Huh -- where? Thanks for the information. It was obviously translated from Spanish, "apple" being the key word: a square city block. It would have cost a bit more, but they could have used flatter stones. Ha -- tell me about it! You once emoted over a picture of a cobblestone street I posted. Betcha ain't emoting now!  So much to comment on here. I forgot to mention the turquoise (!) flowers in an earlier picture and the fabulous treatment of the cloudy sky & tiled roofs. The landscaping in the fancy hotel is wonderful. Guatemalan colonial religious iconography is different from Mexican colonial religious iconography. The stone carving on that last building is out of this world. Keep it coming, please! |
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Post by mossie on May 30, 2018 16:12:03 GMT
The man/stool was in #10 pics 5 and 6
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Post by kerouac2 on May 31, 2018 20:16:14 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 1, 2018 4:29:46 GMT
The next morning was going to be challenging, because I was supposed to drive the car to Lake Atitlán to spend the following days. I was already worried about getting it out of the hotel car park because it had squeezed through the passage from the street with the side view mirrors folded in and only about two centimetres to spare on each side. Seeing as how I had never driven this car before, I was planning on inching my way out, even if it took twenty minutes. The electronic ignition card decided otherwise, and the motor never started after two hours of effort, both by myself and a variety of other people.. The nearest Mazda dealership was in Guatemala City. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 1, 2018 4:51:46 GMT
I hope you treated yourself to another frosty margarita after the car ordeal. What a pain.
Looking forward to more of the green lushness and tropical flowers!
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 4, 2018 4:15:58 GMT
So, Antigua has now been evacuated due to the volcanic eruption. 25 dead so far. I miss everything!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 4, 2018 4:39:27 GMT
Good grief! What did you do to that country?!
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 4, 2018 4:43:46 GMT
I am receiving reports from my ash-covered friend. They are not accusing me so far.
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Post by fumobici on Jun 4, 2018 5:04:39 GMT
You missed witnessing history (Maxwell smart voice) by thaaat much. The minor chords the strings were playing at the end of the video had me quite concerned.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 4, 2018 12:38:57 GMT
This gets a bit gruesome around 2:30.
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