The first stop in Central America was Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala.  The tour bus ride to La Antigua, the Guatemalan capital until it was destroyed by earthquakes 300 years ago, introduced us to Guatemala and ALL its color and local ‘flavor’ – –

Welcome to Puerto Quetzal – warm and humid.

Two heads ARE better than one.

Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala founded in the Panchoy Valley in 1543 – today referred to as La Antigua – was the colonial capital and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This charming town sits 4,500 feet above sea level (a bit of a reprieve from the heat) and in the shadow o three volcanoes.  It is famous for both its colorful Spanish Mudejar-influenced Baroque architecture and its many ruins of colonial churches.  Cobblestone streets, colorful facades and tiled roofs, as well as restored and unrestored ruins of churches, palaces, convents and mansions covered with colorful bougainvillea make it a picture paradise!

Beautiful Color!

Downtown area was fun to explore…the entry to La Antigua.

Iglesia de la Merced (1218-2018)  was elegant, both outside…

…..and in.

Construction on the Cathedral of Santiago on the east side of the Main Plaza in La Antigua was begun in 1542 and was completed around 1666.  But it had to be rebuilt after the 1691 earthquake.  A ceremony was taking place inside during our visit – perhaps with some VIP’s that required all the security (including the machine guns) outside???

Cathedral of Santiago

Hotel Casa Santo Domingo was our next stop – and our beautiful lunch spot.  This development opened in 1989.  The main goal of the project is to rescue what remains of the ancient convent and temple that were buried under tons of debris.  To reach the goal, it was necessary to sign an agreement with the National Council for the Protection of Antigua Guatemala that included the archaeological history of the monumental complex. Today there is a beautiful hotel sharing some of the property of the ruins, a portion of the temple exposed and utilized for weddings, etc (they were setting up for a wedding as we were touring) portions of the convent exposed with various portions of the renovated buildings being utilized for a Cultural Center, a Colonial Art Museum, the Carlos Merida Museum-Gallery of Modern Art and various research labs.

Some of the old church and monastery ruins. 

The partially restored temple being set up for a wedding.

This wall art in the museums is almost as colorful as…

…the many birds in the gardens.

It was time to return to the heat of sea level (from our 4,500 feet) – to leave all the brilliant color behind – and to continue our travels to Nicaragua.

La Antigua E & G saying bye for now;-)