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Symphony
in front of the main cathedral I found myself in Antigua, Guatemala soon after leaving Acapulco and my friends from New York. Having never been south of Mexico I thought it a necessary detour. And while Costa Rica was my initial thought, I recalled a friend who is from Guatemala. So I called a Mr. Carlo Rossell and we chatted about his homeland. He reminded me his brother still lived in Guatemala City and had a restaurant and that I should get in touch with him should I go. So this is exactly what happened. I stayed in Antigua, a beautiful colonial city that still bears scars of the many earthquakes that ravage the area, but have never been able to kill off the city entirely. Guatemala City where Christian (the brother) lives is the result of a mass exodus from Antigua to found a city in a safer region. Of course the city is also prone to earthquakes and in recent history has lost large parts of the city to the fires that often result from the shaking. But I digress from my history lesson.
In Antigua I meet up with Carlo’s brother Christian and a friend. Christian treated me to an amazing
THE michelada
with tomato juice. Italian lunch. Being a chef himself, and the owner of an Italian restaurant himself, you’ll just have to trust me that I haven’t had such a sophisticated meal in a long time. Christian also introduced me to my first proper Guatemalan ‘michelada.’ The Michilada is my new favorite beverage and you’ll see me with one in hand all summer long. It’s very simple. It even sounds like our well known Bloody Mary. First, grab a large glass with salted rim and fill with ice. Then pour the glass three quarters full with a Tecate or Corona styled beer. (Of course if you can get Gallo, the Guatemalan favorite, of course do that.) Then squeeze half a lime into the beer, add 3-5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce (salsa ingles), and top off with tomato juice. The beer makes it lighter and more refreshing than a Bloody which is good for hangovers and hot days. The tomato juice gives it a little weight and rounds off the beer aftertaste. And the Worcester brings in a little dimension. Brilliant! You can also make it without tomato juice for something lighter and crisper. Oh, and don’t forget to garnish with a wedge of lime,
The Arch
the iconic street of Antigua serving the remaining bottled beer with the michilada. Look at me, digressing again. Back to Antigua…
With once again, impeccably lucky timing, I arrived in Antigua the week before Easter, Holy Week. Now I haven’t been very good at going to church in the last few years so religion wasn’t even on my mind until I arrived in the middle of mass processions of men dressed as roman soldiers or purple robes with white headdresses. With purple being the color of mourning, hundreds of the faithful gathered to carry massive wooden creations throughout the ancient streets. More than one hundred men in rhythmic step carried scenes from the stations-of-the-cross, weighing over a ton! The structure was taller than the overhead electrical wires so designated members had long poles to lift the lines as the procession swayed on beneath them. The structures were so long that in order to turn corners, everyone had to step in rhythm forwards, backwards, then forwards, like parallel parking an SUV into a compact car space. The effort alone is impressive without the obvious grand importance in regards to their strong faith. Women were involved in many of the processions as well, carrying feminine
figures from the Bible on smaller structures. If anyone wasn’t involved in the actual carrying of these structures then they were involved in some other way. In the main square actors acted out the confrontation between Jesus and Maximus. Maximus is the personification of pagan native beliefs, and the confrontation an obvious reference to the arrival of Spaniards and the victory of Christianity over native beliefs.
The most wonderful element of all was the ‘Alfombra.’ An alfombra looked like a carpet laid out in the streets in front of the processions. However these ‘carpets’ were made of pine needles, fresh flowers, or brightly colored sawdust. The processions marched straight over the alfombras and kids and women would follow up collecting any reusable flowers for more alfombras. Behind them was a cleaning crew and within minutes all evidence was gone. The most intricate alfombras were made of sawdust and indeed actually looked like carpets. Flowers, images from the Bible, messages of peace, mourning, or resurrection were common. Often these massive carpets were built in the middle of the night, for hours on end. They only existed in completion for a couple hours before the procession was scheduled to come
Alfombra 2
Pine needles and flowers by and trample it out of existence.
The city grows four-fold in numbers during this week. There are MANY tourists and a proportional rise in pickpockets as a result. Guatemala has a mixed reputation for its safety. I’ve definitely never met so many travelers who had been pick pocketed, robbed, etc. Even the locals tell you to be on your guard. And its not just tourists who get picked on. The ‘chicken buses’ (colorful public buses) are rumored to be held up a gun point on a not-uncommon basis. A group of girls in Guatemala City were harassed not by anyone other than the numerous women who told them to get the hell out of town for their own safety. And yet, with all this said and done, I came home with everything I brought. And stories aside, Guatemala is a great country for backpackers to travel. It hasn’t caught on like Costa Rica where Hollywood actors are now invading small surf towns. So go to Guatemala while it’s still ‘dangerous.’ You’ll find it worth your while! Not convinced yet? Check out my next blog about my stops outside of Antigua. Amazing!
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