We left La Ceiba-Honduras going to La Antigua-Guatemala and that was quite a trip. 3 buses and many hours later with no issues at the border, we arrived in La Antigua. You can see the map here. The name of the city is actually La Antigua Guatemala (The old Guatemala). This is because the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1773 and the government decided to move the capital to where Guatemala City (the new) is currently located.
One of the many ruins
Before the Spaniards “discovered” America, the Mayans inhabited the area, but their civilization was already in decline for several centuries. La Antigua was once the capital of the entire Central America during the XVI and XVII century. The city was abandoned by most people after the earthquake, but the church did not want to leave because of the amount of buildings they had built – “too much money went into those buildings for us to just leave.”
The city is now rebuilt, but you can still see some ruins and have a good feel of the earthquake’s impact. La Antigua is one of those places that you will never forget and that you always would like to go back. The colonial buildings with multiple colors, the massive wooden doors, beautiful windows and tiles on the window balconies are all impressive. But when you get in the houses you can appreciate even more the architecture of that time. Most of the houses have been remodeled, but kept the structure intact. The large gardens, fountains and staircases inside their houses are decorated in a Guatemalan way and you need to come and see.
Colonial buildings
Antigua is packed with restaurants, bakeries, spa/salons, bars, bed and breakfasts and little stores. It’s a tourist paradise. For the first time we saw older people touring as well as the usual backpacking crowd. Many of the tourists were attending Spanish language schools that are also quite numerous throughout the small town.
Another big attraction is the market which is open everyday, but it’s larger on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. You can buy handcrafts, souvenirs, fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. All done by the indigenous population dressed up in their typical clothes.
Restaurant in Antigua
The rain messed up our plans to travel around the country. Nothing compared to the disaster that happened in the region. 23 people died because of mudslides and the roads were too dangerous to travel. Unfortunately, we had to spend the whole week in Antigua (which was not a bad thing).
More pics here
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