Transient Travels

It is always fascinating to visit a place where modernity is juxtaposed with remnants of preserved history. But in Antigua Guatemala- the preservation of colonialism remains against the wall of a constant reminder of an historic, natural phenomenon. The Volcán de Agua, which seems to serve as the backdrop of Antigua, erupted in 1541 destroying the original capital of Guatemala (now known as Ciudad Vieja). The lahar from the eruption produced a destructive flood of water, hence its name which means “Volcano of Water.”

Sue, her friend Francisco and I took a taxi to Antigua from Guatemala City for the day when I first arrived. After marveling at the above scene, we entered Jade S.A., a Jade factory and museum. Here, we learned that there are actually two types of Jade: Nephrite and Jadeite. In Guatemala there is Jadeite, which is the stone that is sacred to the Mayans. We had a tour in which we were taught the history of Jade and its importance to the Mayans and we were also shown replicas of Mayan death masks, which were amazingly detailed and creepily real.

While on the tour, we were shown the natural resource in its many forms, other artifacts and we were even served Antigua coffee- everyone was so nice and hospitable. The factory also had an amazing shop where you could purchase jewelry made of Jade.

We then moved on to more museums…

Within the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo is a museum of Spanish colonial art and a museum of Classic Maya art. They are also located within the ruins of the Spanish colonial monastery of Santo Domingo, which have been excavated and partially restored as the Hotel.

As we walked through the ruins, we stumbled upon one of my favorite places- this wax factory.

Here we saw gorgeous, hand crafted candles and puppets made of wax- and we were even shown how the candles were made.

On the way to lunch we passed by The Arch of Santa Catalina, which is one of the most famous colonial monuments in Antigua. It was built in the early 17th century and had been part of the Santa Catalina monastery. However, the church and convent were severely damaged by earthquakes in 1773 and later abandoned when the capital was moved to Guatemala City.

We then picked up a tour guide upon entering the Cathedral of San Jose. These ruins live behind its more modern facade.

Our tour also brought us through Parque Central, which is comprised of about 4 single blocks on each side- but with each block offering a vastly different view of what the city has to offer - it was as bustling as it was small.

Antigua was like no other place I have ever been. Though it was the first and last place I saw a tourist other than myself during my stay in Central America, I didn’t see as many as I thought I would. Despite its narrow sidewalks and tiny cars and motorcycles zooming around somewhat frantically, walking definitely was the best way to get around. Antigua is small enough and there was something to see at every turn.

Strapped with Mike’s North Face backpack, my Saucony sneakers and trendy sunglasses (from target), I jetted the streets of Antigua with Sue and Francisco in my speedy Massachusetts gait, passing vendors that seemed to approach us at every corner and Mayan women in traditional dress. I have never felt so out of place, yet so welcomed at the same time.

What we saw in such a short amount of time was amazing.

We then set off back again to Guatemala City, where we would rest before embarking on the Pullmantur bus to San Salvador…