Our second and final stop in Central America landed us in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, the nation’s most important seaport. We didn’t spend any time there, though, as our plan for the day took us inland to the city of Antigua.
Antigua is a city of 45,000 souls, located in Guatemala’s central highlands. Getting there from the coast involves a bone jarring ninety minute ride on what looks to be a fairly modern highway. However, the steady flow of fully laden trucks heading inland from the port have made a mess of it, to the point that arriving in Antigua with your fillings all intact is considered a victory. Interestingly, the ride back to the coast is much smoother, as the now empty trucks are much kinder to that side of the divided highway.
Antigua was the (Spanish) colonial capital of Guatemala for 200 years, until a nasty earthquake in 1773 resulted in the movement of the capital to its current home in Guatemala City. Earthquakes are not uncommon in Antigua, but they are not the only threat, and you need only cast your eyes southward from the city to see why. Looming silently there and dominating the skyline is a 12,340 foot high volcano called Volcan de Agua. Though inactive, the volcano is still dangerous, as it is capable of producing deadly lahars.
Slightly farther away, to the southwest, sits an even more troublesome monster, Volcan de Fuego, the aptly named the Volcano of Fire. Volcan de Fuego is one of Guatemala’s three active volcanoes, and it erupts regularly. As recently as 2018 it erupted violently, wiping out a couple villages and killing nearly 200 people. Fortunately it was sleeping quietly as we drove past, and other than the rough road our ride to Antigua was uneventful.
Our first stop in the tourist-packed city was at the Palacio del Obisco, the former second home of Bishop Francisco Marroquin, who was important enough that his face is on one of the bills of Guatemalan currency. Still owned by the Catholic Church, the building has been restored and part of it now serves as a museum. While the museum was interesting, the highlight for me was watching locals grind cocoa beans by hand and mix the powder with water to offer us fresh hot chocolate. It was beyond delicious.
Our next stop was at the town’s busy Central Park, which is dominated by the pretty Church of the Mercy. The action, though, is in the park itself, where dozens of Mayan vendors solicit the tourists, selling everything from souvenirs and hats to beautiful, hand crafted scarves. Michele bought a gorgeous, multicolored scarf that she promptly wore to dinner back on the ship.
From the park we made our way up to the Arch of St. Catherine, one of the city’s landmarks. The thing to do there is to get a photo of the arch with Volcan de Agua in the background, and we were able to do so, though the haze on this warm summer day prevented the volcano from showing as clearly as we would have wished.
We also stopped at Jade Maya, the largest jade working operation in the Americas, where we were treated to a presentation on Guatemalan jade, toured their on site museum, peeked through glass to watch the jade workers plying their craft, and browsed their showroom. It’s worth a visit if you’re ever in Antigua.
Our final stop was at Cafe de la Escalonia, where we were served a delicious lunch of local specialties, before boarding our small bus for the return to Puerto Quetzal and the ship. I had hoped to get a photo of Volcan de Fuego, the active volcano, as we drove past, but by early afternoon the haze had increased to the point that the volcano wasn’t visible at all.
We arrived back at the port with plenty of time to browse around the tourist shopping area that was strategically located between us and the ship, and we made another small purchase before boarding and saying goodbye to Guatemala and Central America. Our next two ports of call are in Mexico, before we make a brief stop back on the US mainland in Los Angeles. Then it will be out across the Pacific on the next leg of our epic odyssey. Can’t wait, and fear not, because I’ll bring you with me, so stay tuned.
Church area of Palacio del Obisco, in use today in addition to the museum.
Beautiful courtyard at Palacio del Obisco.
This unusual display at the museum honors San Pedro de Verona, a Catholic Saint.
Upon exiting the museum portion of the site we were greeted by locals who were grinding cocoa beans by hand.
The freshly ground cocoa powder was mixed with hot water to make a wonderful hot chocolate.
And yes, I had an opportunity to sample the hot chocolate, and it was amazing.
There were Mayan vendors galore at Antigua’s central plaza selling hats, souvenirs and beautiful hand stitched cloths.
As has been the case in many places we’ve visited, there were ice cream vendors at the plaza. I held off again, but my will power is waning.
There are several old abandoned churches in Antigua, destroyed by the region’s many earthquakes. Often the facades have been preserved, and a tour of them by a knowledgeable guide would be an interesting way to spend several hours. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that kind of time.
This is Church of the Mercy, the currently the primary church in the city.
We then walked up to the Arch of St. Catherine, a city landmark.
This is what many visitors consider the money shot when you’re in Antigua—the Arch, with the huge Volcan de Agua volcano in the background. The summer haze softened the view, but it was still impressive.
Then it was on to Jade Maya, where we were able to watch jade craftsmen at work. Guatemalan jade was part of the Mayan culture, and was “rediscovered” by the company’s founders.
This is a recreated image of King Pakal, a Mayan ruler whose remains were discovered with 26 pounds of jade.
A jade mask crafted by workers at Jade Maya.
Great spot for a photo at Jade Maya. Note the small cup Michele is holding. We were served complimentary fresh Guatemalan coffee while we were there. Very nice.
Our authentic Guatemalan lunch. The dark sauce on my rice was spicy hot, but it was delicious.
I bought some Guatemalan chocolate while we were there.
Entrance to the shopping area back at the port. The complex is much larger than it appears from here, as there were long rows of shops once we went inside.
I spotted this giant termite nest in a tree on my walk back to the ship.
We really enjoyed our day in Guatemala. I’d love to go back.
And with that it was goodbye to Guatemala and Central America, and on to Mexico.
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