ROUTE OF THE MAYA
November 9 - 26, 2010
Page Nine
Guatemala continued - Antigua
San Francisco Church in Antigua dating from the Spanish colonial era
Back in the colonial era, not everyone had private water in their homes. They would take their washing to the
public "pila," a sort of laundromat. There they would chat, gossip, catch up on news, and wash clothes. The
public pila is still used occasionally by poorer families in Antigua.
Another church in Antigua
The ruins of the Cathedral in Antigua. Destroyed by an earthquake
in 1773.
It is common to see men carrying extremely heavy loads on
their backs. This man was walking near LaMerced Church, seen below.
LaMerced Church, originally built in 1548.
Inside LaMerced Church
This temporary structure of the Devil on a bike was put up
in preparation for a pending religious celebration.
A small part of Santo Domingo Monastery, a ruined monastery. Its history can be traced back to 1538 when the
Dominicans arrived in Guatemala. It had two towers with ten bells and the monastery was filled with treasures.
The monastery was destroyed in 1773, and today part of the ruins have been transformed into a hotel,
the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo.
Arch of Santa Catarina - This famous, monumental arch was built as a passageway between the monastery
and
adjoining school.
The buildings were constructed to accommodate an increase in religious
followers during the 17th century.
Overlooking a courtyard at a restaurant where some of us ate lunch. Open air courtyards are common in Antigua.
Coffee drying in the sun at a coffee plantation near Antigua. Our guide Ivania (in the long, white pants) is
explaining the process.
Guatemala is a major exporter of coffee and has several coffee growing regions.
Fruit of the coffee tree
The traditional Mayan devil dance performed at Posada de Don Rodrigo La Antigua Restaurant.
The Devil was eventually vanquished.
After the dancers performed for a while, they started dragging us on to the floor
to dance with them. I eventually ended up dancing with the Devil, and then had a difficult time
finding someone to replace me.
The group after the performance.
Two characters dressed as Don Quixote and Pancho were walking in the central plaza of Antigua as we
were getting ready to board our van to head back to Guatemala City to catch a plane to Flores, where
we were going to see the Mayan ruins of Tikal. They seemed very happy to have their picture taken.
I have no idea where they came from or where they were going.
Link to Page 10 - Tikal
Link to Page One of Route of the Maya
Pat's Home Page