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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“The streets are ablaze with colour.” |
The Spaniards made the current day Antigua the capital of Guatemala on 15 March 1543, but then it was called La muy Noble y muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Goathemala.
In 1773 the city was destroyed by a major earthquake so that in 1776 the capital was transferred to Guatemala City. Antigua was plundered for building materials for the new capital, although it started to grow again in 1830 and by then was known as La Antigua Guatemala, the Old Guatemala.
Today you can see many ruined churches and monasteries. In 1979 UNESCO declared Antigua a World Heritage site.
Antigua has an idyllic setting surrounded by mountains and dominated by three large volcanoes: Agua (3766m), Acatenango (3976m) and Fuego (3763m) the latter of which is active with smoke often seen coming from its crater.
From our room in the Hotel Plaza Mayor we could clearly see Volcán Agua which was only 10kms (6 miles) away.
The streets are a blaze of colour with bougainvillea around every corner and the vivid clothing of many of the indigenous people.
Arco de Santa Catalina
This arch was built in 1694 to enable nuns to cross the street without being seen. It was rebuilt in the 19th century.
Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de La Merced
Building started in 1548 but due to a succession of earthquakes it has had various phases of rebuilding, most recently following the 1976 earthquake.
The fountain is 27m in diameter, and is supposed to represent a water lily. It is thought to be the largest in Central America.
We witnessed the candle-lit procession to the church tonight (last Thursday of the month), with bells ringing and fire-crackers set off. The priest joined the procession, walking under a canopy which was held by four church members, and was surrounded by the faithful. Before entering the church they all dropped to their knees and crossed themselves.
Catedral de Santiago
This is in the main square, and work began on this cathedral in 1542 but it was demolished by an earthquake in 1668. It was then rebuilt in 1680, thereafter consistently damaged by successive earthquakes and partially rebuilt again by 1820.
Iglesia de San Francisco
Originally built in the 16th century, this church has been restored on several occasions.
Antigua is very touristy and is a weekend retreat for many city dwellers from Guate. However it is rather a quaint town, with many very colourful houses and other buildings. Streets are cobbled which look nice but are a killer on the feet and ankles! So one to two days is probably sufficient to see the town.
previous travel blog entry
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