Antigua, Guatemala
We’re in this colonial town for a few days, camped at the tourist police center. No, we’re not in jail! They allow campers into their facility - bathrooms, showers, electric plug in, and WiFi; all for free. The town is on some of the only flat land we’ve seen in the country, surrounded by volcanoes. Built by the Spanish, the town is loaded with churches and ruins of convents, etc. One site we saw today was built in the early 1700’s, then destroyed by an earthquake in 1793. One wall was riddled with bullet holes - a reminder that Guatemala’s civil war has only been over for 10 years or so. The ruins were impressive - then we realized the buildings were being built 1000 years after some of the Mayan sites we visited were abandoned. This is a major tourist destination with hordes of gringos getting off buses all day. However, it’s easy to see why so many folks visit - shops selling everything from crafts to coffee, 100 Spanish schools, 3 internet joints on every block; and of course the walled colonial houses, where sometimes you can see into the courtyard gardens in the middle of the block. Many of the surrounding villages are home to the local indigenous indians and each village has it’s own type of cloth or craft. In one museum we saw that villages separated by only a few miles each have their own Mayan dialect. The weaving’s are incredibly detailed and some take 3 months to complete. Of course with all the traffic they offer “best price for you” and bargaining is an art form. After spending so much time near the coast we were a little off guard for the cold, 58 degrees in the mornings. It feels a little like October in VT - cool in the shade & hot in the sun. We’ll be off to Lake Attilan tomorrow and continuing the adventure.
posted at police center WiFi, Antigua
Tags: Travel
