🇬🇹 🇬🇹 🇬🇹
Antigua
My month long trip to Guatemala and Panama started with Antigua. My midnight flight of United Air from Houston arrived sharp 12 and my transport to Antigua was waiting outside airport. Faced no issues in airport and then zipped to Antigua in no time. After a restful sleep , it was time to explore the the city. Situated in an area prone to frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquake , the city has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. It was also the former capital of Guatemala.
This city is a Unesco world heritage site and is known for Baroque-influenced architecture and layout, Compact, walkable streets.
I started my day waking up from my hotel and spending few hours walking aimlessly in allyways . The rustic charm of the old was really enjoyable city with colourful bright housed , cobblestone roads and ample opportunity to test some of the streetfood . After that its time to change hotel , so I moved to another hotel where I would be staying for next 2 days. For lunch I walked up to El Porton , where I tried some traditional food and then left for a walking tour .
Guatemala City
Guatemala City is the site of the native Mayan city of Kaminaljuyu in Mesoamerica, which was occupied primarily between 1500 BCE and 1200 CE. In September 1821, Guatemala City was the site of the famous Act of Independence of Central America, which declared the independence of the region from the Spanish Empire. This is now the capital and the largest city of Gutemala. Guatemala city is notorious for very high rates of violent crimes and certain areas of the city is pretty much no-go zone. However , I did not face any trouble or felt insecure at any point.
I arrived at the airport from Flores in the evening. The hotel I was staying provided a free pick up from Airport , so I arrived at the hotel in the evening. Even the budget hotels do have some strict controls and located in safe zones.
From my hotel I took Uber to reach to city center. At the center was Central Park, officially called Plaza de la Constitución. Its layout emulates that of Central Park in Antigua, Guatemala’s previous capital until it was destroyed in the 1776 earthquake and subsequently moved to Guate by the Spanish.
In its center is a lovely fountain. The half paved, half stone square is home to protests and celebrations. The park was currently undergoing preparations for Santa Semana or Holy Week. In addition, it included a memorial to the many orphans that died in a fire at an orphanage under direct supervision of the current president’s wife. Apparently, the kids lived in deplorable conditions and were treated poorly and raped by the guards. The memorial also represents a protest of the current president. The National Palace, located on north side of the square, was the last building “Dictator” Jorge Ubico constructed before he was removed from office. He was nick named number five for his obsession with the number. There are five letters in both his names and many of the buildings he constructed included sequences of five windows or doors such as at the palace. His wife’s favorite color was green, so the palace dons a green color.
Cathedral of Guatemala City on the east side of the park. On its columns, were the names of all the thousands who died or went missing in Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. Inside, it’s altar mimics that of the Vatican. The columns on either side of the pews displayed paintings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
From cathedral I took some stairs down to the three-story underground central market. Markets are always what I enjoy visiting the most in other countries, and this market was no exception. The top level featured a variety of hand-crafted items such as jewelry, textiles, pottery, and leather goods at the best prices in Guatemala City. Baskets, ceramics and wedding materials could be found on the lower level. We didn’t spend much time on either of these levels. Food stalls are in lavel 2 but I already had lunch outside.
Pasep Cayala is a new development called Paseo Cayala was made of white adobe with ceramic tile roofs. It was a mixed-use development offering apartments, parks, high-end shops, restaurants. While it is promoted as a safe place to live for all Guatemalans, the cheapest apartment costs 70 times the average wage. It is basically its own little city on the outskirts of town. Then I walked back to my hotel . On the way I passed along Avenida La Reforma whose median operates like a park. It includes monuments to the countries in Central America, shade trees, a bike path, and kids playgrounds. While pretty, it didn’t seem like the most peaceful place with loads of traffic going by, but with limited green space, I suppose it can be a nice place to enjoy. Eventually headed back to the hotel, but not before I walked underneath a replica of the Eiffel Tower! Torre del Reformador, which stands 236 feet high, was built in 1935 and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Justo Rufino Barrios, once a president of Guatemala who instituted many reforms.