Guatemala - Holy (Semana) Santa!

April 5-8

Hello everyone!

Sunday, April 9th is Easter. It is the reason I have two weeks off from work. It is also a very big deal in Central America. A very big deal.

Purple is the colour for Lent

A parade float depicting Jesus being moved into the cave

There aren’t many places that make as big a deal out of Holy Week - called Semana Santa - in the region as Antigua. That’s the city in Guatemala, not the country. 

The city's full name is Antigua Guatemala

The red dot is Guatemala City, the capital

Quick admission at this point: when Hannah and I decided to come to Antigua, we didn’t realise that we were trying to come at its busiest time. And boy is it busy in Semana Santa. 

The tradition of the carpets dates from conquistador times

The grounds of the Merced church were
packed throughout our time in Antigua

Why Antigua in particular? I’m not entirely sure. It certainly is a place steeped in colonial history, where the Spanish developed a settlement said to be their most important between Mexico City to the far north and Lima to the far south. The city, whose full name translates as ‘Old Guatemala’, was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala for 230 years after its founding in 1543. It suffered a horrendous earthquake in 1773, which resulted in the capital being moved to a new 'Guatemala City'.

The ruins of the Candelaria church date from 1548 

This cool structure was part of the city's laundry basket 

Antigua’s most iconic man made landmark is the Santa Catalina Arch. It was built in 1694 and originally connected a convent on one side of the road with a school on the other side. The nuns, who had to avoid all contact with the outside world, used a hidden passageway in the arch to cross between the two institutions.

The arch somehow survived the 1773 earthquake,
which decimated most of the city 

The clock was added in the 1800s and
needs to be wound every three days

There are many other colonial relics found along the cute, cobbled streets. Many are found around the Central Plaza (Parque Central), including the city’s massive cathedral and Palacio de los Capitanes.

From here, the governor ruled an area stretching
from modern-day Mexico to Costa Rica

The cathedral is built on the rubble of the
original, which was destroyed in the 1773 earthquake

I said man made landmarks for a reason. Visible from Antigua are three towering volcanoes: Volcan de Agua, Acatenango and Volcan de Fuego. The latter is constantly bubbling and spitting at a low level. You can hike overnight up Acatenango, which allows you great views of the Fuego and an incredible sunrise. This also involves advance booking…

Volcanoes are a key part of Guatemalan culture

Volcan de Agua is most visible from the city -
Acatenango and Fuego are to the west (to the right of this picture)

…meaning we hiked up part of a different volcano, called Pacaya. Though not as frequent or violent as Fuego, Pacaya has erupted as recently as 2021, as well as in 2010 and 2014. 

It rises to 2,552 metres above sea level

You don't climb to the top of the volcano -
this was pretty much as high as we went 

It took us a while to get to Pacaya, mainly because the roads were blocked for Semana Santa activities. You’ll see why later, but this resulted in having to backtrack multiple times and taking two-and-a-half hours to travel a journey which normally takes less than an hour.

It's a popular hike, probably because it can be completed quite quickly

Solidified lava from recent eruptions

The hike was gentle, particularly when compared to other volcano hikes which can be done here. Still, some opted for four-legged help…

In front of Pacaya's peak

There was a baby screaming his eyes out on one of these -
be thankful I didn't take a video of that to use on here

We didn’t go near the top, instead settling in a basin which had solidified lava from recent eruptions. The rock is warm to the point that the guides pull out their party trick: roasting marshmallows. It was a pleasant hike and a world away from the chaos of the town.

There isn't a fire over which to cook them...

...meaning they get put in the lava, and they get bits of
molten rock on them. Crunchy and underwhelming.

This was Good Friday. It seemed to be a good Friday to watch a parade. There were many of them. These actually happened consistently throughout our time in Antigua. Each different parade depicts a different aspect of the events of Holy Week, with Friday’s main parade of over 25 floats depicting the death and burial of Jesus.

It's suggested that up to a million people
visited Antigua during Holy Week before Covid

Whilst Wednesday and Thursday were purple,
Friday had more black being worn

It’s a bedazzling, strange experience. There’s an aura as the floats wobble up the street, being carried by people of any age or gender in traditional Christian clothing. The accompanying music is tuba-heavy, loud and sombre in its mood. Understandably given what they are depicting, the atmosphere is stuffy; not just because of the clouds of smoke from the incense being hurled around.

Floats ranged in size from small, like this
one above, to dozens of metres long

Incense adding to the atmosphere outside the cathedral

Yet then you notice one of the parade with a selfie stick. Or you see a parade being accidentally blocked because a woman has decided to try to sell socks in the middle of the road. Or the parade winds down a different road and you’re left with the usual tourist hawkers trying to sell water or hats which are precariously balanced high on their head.

Socks > important religious procession

More likely pollution, but maybe this incense-waving
explains the haziness of Antigua's air!

I've tried to count more than once. Failed every time.

One of the main elements of Semana Santa is the creation of colourful carpets, called alfombras, which are painstakingly designed, measured and created in the middle of the street. They're amazing to see but are soon deconstructed after finishing - I'm not sure why.

Incredibly beautiful but they disappear so quickly!

Lots of pretty patterns and colours on the cobbled streets

An alfombra was why our drive to Pacaya got diverted. Having seen the care taken to create these stunning designs, I’m happy our bus didn’t bulldoze its way over it!

The alfombras are made from sawdust and wood
chippings - they could be bought in the main market

We're not sure whether you can just rock up to do these or
whether you need council permission and get given a
particular place in which to build your carpet

Antigua is relatively close to us and easy enough to reach, even for a weekend. We’ll definitely be back, though probably at a quieter time! Even so, being in the city for part of Semana Santa was at times a powerful experience which demonstrated the power and reverence of religion in Central America.

Happy Holy Week

Spending time with friends in a tiny, adorable restaurant called Por Que No, which translates as 'Why Not?'

Gracias Antigua - we'll be back

Love you all,

Matt