I ♥ Antigua

---

I’m not sure where the last eight weeks have gone? After leaving Buenos Aires and South America behind, I last wrote to you from my little beachside cabaña in Tulum, Mexico where I had a few days doing nothing but walking along the beach, swimming, reading, eating and trying out different cocktails. It was the perfect way to recover following the physically demanding, and cold(!), past 10 weeks in South America.

After Tulum I had another five days in Playa del Carmen, doing pretty much the same thing, only with many more people and louder music…

After 10 days of much needed rest in Mexico, I was ready to head to Antigua Guatemala where I was going to stay for six weeks in an attempt to improve my Spanish.

I first came to Antigua on New Years Day 2012 and fell in love with it immediately. I knew that if I was ever going to learn Spanish, immersion style, Antigua, with its countless Spanish schools, “clean” Spanish, and incredibly beautiful surroundings was the perfect place. 10 months later, I returned.

Antigua is an enigmatic little colonial town that is so mysterious and special, and its history is fascinating. I think that is why it holds so much charm for me. It has survived earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions, and looking at this destructive history it is difficult to comprehend how such a little gem has been able to survive and continue to thrive against all odds. Add to that history the picture perfect setting with blue skies surrounded by the three volcanoes – Agua, Fuego and Acatenango, the character-filled streets, walls with centuries of different coloured paints peeling off, the beautiful local people, majestic ruins on every corner, and of course, the cobbled streets (charming to look at, but a pain to walk on), and you’ve got one hell of an inviting town.

Because it fascinates me so much I am going to briefly touch on a bit of Antigua’s history…

Antigua was the third capital of Guatemala after the first was moved due to uprisings, and the second was destroyed by a torrential storm and floods from water gushing down from Volcan Agua. In 1543 the Spanish moved the capital a few kms further away from the volcano and founded present day Antigua (then called Santiago). Although there were regular earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, the city managed to thrive for two centuries. It wasn’t until the massive earthquake of 1773 which resulted in devastation to the city, that the authorities decided to once again move the capital to the Valley of la Ermita, some 45 kms away which is today Guatemala City, the fourth capital of Guatemala. In 1774 Santiago was officially renamed La Antigua Guatemala (The Old Guatemala) and was essentially abandoned.

Much of the population of Antigua was not willing to uproot what they had built in Antigua and move to vacant muddy blocks in the new capital. However, a royal edict was issued in 1777 stating that it was now illegal to live in Antigua, that all property must be abandoned and La Antigua should be destroyed...razed to the ground.

The countless churches, monasteries, convents, government buildings and houses were stripped, and almost everything, including doors, wood beams, locks, tiles, columns, furniture, art and other ornaments, were taken to the new capital. The Captain General even tried to take the large columns from the Captain General's Palace but thankfully they were too heavy for the mules to carry. So the columns remain in place today in their glorious splendor.

The city was never totally abandoned and once Guatemala City began to thrive Antigua was forgotten about and left to ruin. In the 1830s the population of Antigua began to grow again once coffee was introduced. Houses were renovated and restored rather than rebuilt and the colonial nature of Antigua was retained. In 1969, laws were created to preserve the colonial character of the city and in 1979, La Antigua Guatemala was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site List.

Because of the 1773 earthquake, renovation, development, and destruction all stopped at the peak of the colonial era. Antigua was spared from the onslaught of modern technology arriving in most other capital cities. Instead it has maintained an elusive charm, and the majestic ruins found on nearly every block in town are remnants of Antigua’s intriguing past.

(I'm sure there are plenty of inaccuracies there, but you get the basic idea...)

----end of history lesson--- ;-)



Visually, Antigua is very appealing, but the people are also delightful. Having endured much hardship and terror during a 36 year civil war, there is much laughter and joy, which I don’t think is just for the tourists (because so much here IS just for tourists), I believe they look for the positives and make the most of everything they have, which is very refreshing.

I started Spanish school my first week in Antigua and it was a bit of a shock to the system, getting up at the crack of dawn every day then studying for four hours. The first afternoon I arrived at my homestay, my homestay mum chatted to me in Spanish for some time which was great, but my head hurt afterwards from concentrating so hard, and probably only catching every third word.

My school, the Antigüeña Spanish Academy (which I highly recommend for anyone wanting to learn Spanish) has a large secluded garden on the edge of town where the majority of students sit amongst banana, avocado, coffee, lemon, lime and orange trees to take their lessons. My teacher, Sheny, was adorable and some days we would leave the garden and wander around town, sometimes visiting coffee plantations, the colourful local market, little villages surrounding Antigua and even the beautiful and serene cemetery, all the while learning about Guatemala and a lot of new vocab at the same time.

My afternoons were usually filled with, first a delicious lunch with my family, followed by a bit of homework, a salsa class or another activity with the school, such as museum or village visits to practice our Spanish with the locals.

On the weekends, I soaked up as much of the ambiance as possible, visiting the numerous ruins, enjoying the vista of blue sky and volcanoes, or just relaxing in one of the many fabulous cafés or bars around town – so many to choose from and all fantastic.

One weekend I took up the challenge of climbing one of the volcanoes I gaze up at everyday from town – Acatenango. At close to 4000m I knew it would be hard going. Thankfully, from my recent trekking in Patagonia and the Inca Trail, neither the cold, nor the hike were too painful – challenging yes, but so worthwhile. We camped up top over night in order to see both sunset and sunrise. Feeling on top of the world, the views were breathtaking… an experience I wouldn’t have missed for the world.

During December there have been almost daily parades with burning devils (La Quema del Diablo), little kids dressed up in indigenous clothing with drawn-on facial hair (for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadeloupe procession), Posadas in the streets in the lead up to La Navidad. We also witnessed many festivities for 13 B’aktun, Guatemala being the heart of the Mayan world. All the while, fireworks and rockets have been let off all over town, at all hours…some mornings I have awoken around 5am or 6am to a long blast of crackers being let off…usually to celebrate birthdays or other significant events. These Guatemaltecos certainly love their fireworks (and noise in general)!

It was very sad saying goodbye to my teacher and my homestay family, all who have been so flexible and accommodating over the past six weeks, and of course all the friends I have met during my time here. I’ll miss the ringing bells of the icecream carts in the streets, the church bells and fireworks at the crack of dawn, the sound of tyres reverberating along the cobblestones, the hand-clapping sounds of fresh tortillas being made, constant laughter, the chicken bus conductors yelling “Guate Guate Guate” (or other destinations) on every corner. This truly is an utterly charming place and I have a feeling I’ll be back very soon!

Onwards towards Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama and (hopefully) a slightly warmer climate…

Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo to you all.

See you in 2013!

(As usual, for pictorials, see my facebook album "I ♥ Antigua" https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151298603917629.513399.538562628&type=3 )

---