Guatemala

Mar 26-30
AC7976 YTZ-YUL, AC1368 YUL-GUA, AC1369 GUA-YUL, AC7975 YUL-YTZ

As I am always looking to explore new countries, I became aware of new flight options on Air Canada and noted the new winter service to Guatemala. With the level of crime in parts of the capital, I was cautious in our planning, but was very pleased to discover the business area near our hotel (Zone 10) was very safe with lots of shopping and dining options. Furthermore, the UNESCO historic city of Antigua was well worth the travel. All in all, I was glad to make Guatemala our 120th country to visit.

Unfortunately, our travel was a complicated by some flight delays out of Toronto. I had already moved to a morning flight to work from Montreal for the day, but Tom ultimately had to change flights and airports and after rushing through the terminal, made it just in time for our flight to Guatemala City.

Mar 27

After arriving the previous evening, we had the day to explore the city. Having been warned about safety in some zones of the city, but wanting to see the historic city centre, we left the big camera behind and booked an Uber to the central plaza. There were a smattering of security tourists and locals around, and we were happy that we ventured out of the homogeneous suburb.

The National Palace of Culture acts as the seat of government of Guatemala, but was closed to tourists when we visited

Roman catholic Catedral Primada Metropolitana de Santiago (1815) also off main the city square

Cathedral interior, fully restored after the 1976 earthquake damage that affected this and much of the central city

Wooden sculpture of Saint Ferdinand III, who was a prominent king of Castile and León

The fountain and flag of Plaza de la Consitucion looking a little gloomy

Another view of the palace across the edge of Plaza de la Constitución, before leaving the city centre

The Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología houses Mayan art and historical artifacts

Stela 9 (900-500 BC), a basalt stone carving from Kaminaljuyu, an ancient Preclassic Maya civilization

An ancient (300BC-150AD) Maya ballgame court marker (specifically known as Marcador 102)

Ancient (550-950AD) Maya ceramic figurine

Tribal figurine from the same collection

Maya ceramic vessel (400-500AD) in the form of a sleeping dog.

Pre-Columbian (250-600AD) Maya ritual offering vessel carved from stone in the shape of a giant toad

Monument 65, a famous Late Preclassic Maya stone carving (250BC-250AD)

Anthropomorphic Maya figurine (250-600 AD)

Stela 6, from the ancient site of Piedras Negras, depicts the Maya ruler K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II, dedicated 687 AD

Another limestone sculpture from the collection

One of a number of devil’s masks on display in an exhibit focused on performance and music

Ancient Pre-Columbian pottery whistles and aerophones, sophisticated ceramic musical instruments used for spiritual ceremonies, warfare, signaling, and mimicking natural animal sounds

Back in the tranquility of Zone 10 we have an excellent view of the Swiss Embassy and its manicured gardens

A short walk from the hotel, the Bernal Díaz del Castillo Monument is located in Plaza España

Enjoying the flowers and fountain of Carlos III in Plaza España

One of the four historic polychrome tile benches in the Plaza, donated to Guatemala by the Spanish government during the square's inauguration in 1933, depicted scenes from the European discovery of the Americas

FORUM Zona Viva business center, one of many modern office and commercial developments in Zone 10

Having made the most of our time in the capital, we had dinner at a local pizza restaurant that was quite a tasty way to wind down the day.

Mar 28

Although Guatemala City is still the modern capital of government and business centre for the country, Antigua is the prime tourist town. A UNESCO heritage site and the historic capital of the country, it is truly a magical place. It would have been even more picturesque if the skies were clear enough to see the volcano that towers above the city. As we weren’t comfortable driving ourselves, we arranged a day tour that picked us up in our hotel after breakfast and delivered us to the outskirts of town, where we connected with a local guide.

Our first stop was a coffee museum on the edge of town on a farm that produces small batches of coffee

Coffee bean hulling machine

Coffee roaster, manufactured in Germany in 1870, where the ball is filled with coffee and placed over the fire with a pulley to rotate the beans

Large collection of spoons to complement a coffee set

Coffee beans drying in the sun

A closer look at the beans

Waterwheel that was powering the historic coffee production

Exploring more of the grounds

Koi pond

Small local frog was enjoying the pond

Zooming in on the coffee beans on the vine

Having moved on to the historic old town, Iglesia de La Merced (1767) with yellow and white Spanish baroque façade, one over 30 in the ancient town

The old town has traditional cobblestone streets throughout, adding to the atmosphere, but also requiring careful attention when walking

The Fountain of the Mermaids, in Antigua’s Central Park, full of visitors relaxing and having ice cream

Antigua Guatemala Cathedral (1680), also known as the Cathedral of San José

Interior of the church, with the purple flags for Easter

The ruins of the Antigua Guatemala Cathedral sit behind the current truncated church, destroyed in the 1773 earthquake that devastated the city and caused the government to create a new capital in today’s Guatemala City

More of the impressive ruins of what was a massive cathedral

It is still incredible, after all the destruction and time that has passed, how much is still standing

Red Bougainvillea sits among the ruins

Some of the original wall coverings are still visible

Some of the fine details, still protected from the elements

Admiring the intricate details of the columns

In the crypt, the walls are much darker

One of many heavy wooden floats (andas) getting ready for Good Friday’s procession, where it will carry life-sized statues of the crucified Christ and the sorrowful Virgin Mary

Shift changes along the procession route are marked on the corners of buildings

Tanque La Unión, a historic 19th-century public laundry facility

Individual laundry stalls

Stone facade featuring a religious statue at Iglesia and Convento de Santa Clara

The colonial-era chapel located on the Calle de los Pasos (Street of the Steps) serves as one of the stations along the Pilgrim's Route leading to the Church of San Francisco

Looking further along Calle de los Pasos with street vendors carrying balls

Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of Saint Francis), the pilgrim destination

This Good-Friday-decorated corner window with wrought iron bars allows residents to look down both intersecting streets

Very different architecture adorning this entrance in the colonial building

The corners of historical buildings were built with tougher stone reinforcements, to prevent damage from corner-cutting horse-drawn carriages

One of a number of tiny ice cream carts throughout the city

The 17th-century Santa Catalina Arch allowed cloistered nuns to cross between convent buildings without being seen from the street

Pricing designed to encourage consumption

Artists preparing figures for the upcoming procession

The amount of activity demonstrated the importance and scope of the activity

Large colonial Fountain of los Pescados in interior courtyard of the Iglesia de La Merced

From the roof of Iglesia de La Merced, we got a nice perspective of the courtyard and surrounding hills

Looking across the roof to the dome of Iglesia de La Merced

View of the base of the volcano with the peak obscured by the low cloud cover

Looking back at Santa Catalina Arch and the surrounding ruins

Ancient lion statue outside the church

Back at the front of Iglesia de La Merced where we started the day, now with some bluer skies

Having been driven back to Guatemala City, now back at the rooftop pool of our hotel, the Pacaya volcano makes its first appearance for us

The Fuego volcano also appears in another direction

We very much enjoyed our tour of Antigua and after the sunset found dinner again near the hotel before call it an early evening.

Mar 29

I was up early to work out before our flight and noticed that the clearer skies had allowed for a very clear view of the nearby volcanos.

Pacaya volcano at sunrise

Fuego volcano now in clear view

After breakfast, we caught an Uber to the airport for the trip home. Our flight to Montreal was on schedule, but unfortunately we had some delays on the flight into Toronto. Happy to have officially marked country #120 and grateful that we visited Antigua in the lead up to Easter for a unique experience.