Antigua on foot

Antigua never ceases to intrigue. The longer we walked the streets the more curious we became of the life hidden behind the walls. We peeked inside open door ways and entered restaurants, hotels and stores, only hoping for a glimpse of what lay beyond the thick outer perimeter. Eventually we decided that we needed some professional assistance, so we signed up for a city walking tour.

Elizabeth Bell relocated to Guatemala from Palo Alto, CA decades ago, and established a travel company in Antigua in 1992. She has been quite influential in restoring the city, and is on numerous committees and societies to both preserve and promote Antigua. While a bit abrasive at times, we agreed that she has a 'get things done' personality and 'get things done' she has! Elizabeth is a qualified city historian and has published books on Antigua's history and customs. We were fortunate to have her as our guide.

Antigua is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque influenced architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. The city is the municipal seat and is actually made up of about 27 surrounding villages.

Antigua Guatemala means "Ancient Guatemala" and was the third capital of Guatemala. At its peak in the 1770s, the population hit 60,000 and the current population is just over half that. Due to the destruction caused by multiple earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the Spanish crown ordered the complete evacuation of the city, and moved the capital elsewhere. The city had turned from a cultural and significant center to a ghost town practically overnight. Only within the past two decades has it again started to blossom into a thriving community. Until the advent of cell phones around the turn of the century there were only two working telephone lines in the whole city. Communication was virtually non existent except for face to face dialog until the city was recently connected to the Internet. Now it is their primary means of communication. Government offices and the city council use Facebook for official communications.

For being an ancient city, we are seeing a complete rebirth of the area, and it is exciting to see it still in the early stages of development. Next to coffee production, tourism has become the primary driving force of the economy. Hotels and restaurants are appearing rapidly to accommodate the visitors. The area is completely safe for tourists; full of charm and adventure. It is also a prime destination for weddings.

Cathedral of San Jose in Antigua

The walking tour took us through Central park, the City Hall and jail, a Jade factory, and several ruins and museums. The Cathedral of San Jose, located in the middle of the city, houses many valuable paintings and sculptures including a life sized figure of Jesus in a glass casket.

Figure of Jesus in a glass casket

Elizabeth took us to the ruins of a significant cathedral, and to the entrance of an underground tomb beneath the now defunct alter area. According to custom, the tomb is densely filled with the spirits of those interred there, and their presence can actually be captured by photography as small orbs. Our picture was definitely filled with light orbs. We got out quickly just in case one decided to get a little frisky.

Light orbs in a tomb below the ruins of a cathedral

One of our most cherished tour benefits was learning door etiquette. We discovered that any open door represented an open invitation and visitors were welcome to enter and view the interior and inner courtyard. We knew the life of the city existed inside the walls, but we were surprised at the extent. Gardens, trees and fields are not only abundant, but certain interiors are so large and spacious that no outer walls can be seen at all, giving the appearance of standing in the countryside.

View of gardens within the Antigua city walls

Trevor/Bryan/Mark on the grounds of some restored ruins