Guatemala I – Antigua

I arrive in Guatemala on a propeller plane and head straight to Antigua. It is love at first sight with this beautiful town, with it’s cobbled stone streets, ruins and amazing colours and textiles of the Maya population.

The women here wear the traditional and colourful clothing. The square-cut blouse is called huipil or güipil, the long skirts are called corte, and this is held up by a woven belt called faja. Every region has it’s own distinctive pattern and colour combinations. As a designer I go totally bonkers of delight. The vibrant colours and the intricate patterns of the textiles are so inspiring and I enjoy people watching more than ever here.

I like the whole feeling of this old town with it’s beautiful buildings in Spanish baroque style, which used to be Spain’s colonial capital before it was severely destroyed by earthquakes in 1773 and the new capital was moved to a safer place, which is where Guatemala City is situated now.

The town is dotted with ruins that remain from the earthquakes.

The volcanoes that surround the town are beautiful and are a stunning backdrop. This is the Volcán de Aqua. But they are also a reminder of the unpredictability of nature here.

The volcano Fuego, Volcán de Fuego, is constantly active. When I’m here it’s spewing smoke and has lava running down its sides. It’s kind of scary to have this sight from ones very own bedroom window!

Saying that I thoroughly enjoy my stay with Rafa and his wife Agustina in their delightful and friendly small hotel, Casa del Arco, close to the historic Arch, that connect two parts of and old convent. Thanks to long and interesting talks with Rafa I learned a lot about the richness of this town and of interesting places to see. This is my small balcony overlooking the cobbled street.

The Arch is just a little further along the street from where I’m staying. Horse and carriage are not an unusual sight here.

Women selling textiles is another common sight.

The beautiful square with it’s park is just a few steps from my hotel.

Strolling around town I come upon an artist at work.

Behind the market is where you find the chicken buses. I thought that they were going to be rather ramshackle and run down but how wrong wasn’t I? On the contrary, they are lovingly polished and cared for and adorned and pimped with all kinds of imaginative decorations. Didn’t have the nerve to go in one myself though after I seeing the sports car driving technique these drivers use.