As it turns out, I embarked on this trip during Semana Santa (Holy Week), which is a BIG deal in Guatemala in general, and in Antigua in particular. Of course, I didn't know that when I woke up this morning. Sure, there were signs yesterday - car traffic in the streets, some talks about processions on Palm Sunday, but nothing that could fully prepare me for what was to come.
In my typical style, I woke up obscenely early - 6:30 am maybe, to take a walk. Even at that early time the city had a buzz to it. People were out on the street - literally in the middle of the road -- sifting sand onto the stones and placing flowers and fruit here and there. I figured at the time it was some Palm Sunday activity for kids - the equivalent of finding Easter eggs or participating in some sort of contest to be judged.
Anyway, I moved on with my day, figuring that I could snap a few photos later. I followed a self-designed tour through the city, hitting some of the most celebrated buildings. But each time I left a site, the energy in the streets swelled a little - the activity continued to build.
I carried on, heading to a eatery called the Rainbow Cafe for lunch. I ordered a beautifully large mint tea, soup and salad, and just around the second bite of my sandwich the entire wait staff of the restaurant left their posts and rushed to the door.
Curious to the commotion, I followed them, only to see the streets lined on both sides with crowds. The sand and flowers I had previously seen on the streets before had transformed into these colorful and carefully designed carpets. And slowly and steadily coming towards them was an enormous biblical tableaux. The first platform was hoisted up by about 80 men - 40 on each side - in matching costumes, walking in unison down the street. The second platform was made up of all women - standing just as strong as their male counterparts - with their own depiction from the Bible lifted from the ground. Closing up at the end was a smaller platform (which I'm sure was still fantastically heavy) perched on the shoulders of about 20 men. In between the platforms there were full bands, blasting form their horns their ecclesiastical pronouncements.
And as the procession barreled ahead, it suddenly occurred to me that they were going to trample the handmade carpets. I quickly finished off my lunch and then took to the streets. I figured I could cut across town and get ahead of the procession so that I could capture the whimsical beauty of these carpets before they were destroyed.
But as I said before, Semana Santa is a big deal in Antigua. And the crowd was a fortress of elbows, chests and backs. It was more like a Jay-Z concert than a religious event -and it became clear there was no way I could push through that fervor. Blocked out and cut off, I managed to stave off my disappointment. After all, maybe this was the whole point of the procession - to remind the entire town once a year to take hold of each moment because nothing lasts forever.
In my typical style, I woke up obscenely early - 6:30 am maybe, to take a walk. Even at that early time the city had a buzz to it. People were out on the street - literally in the middle of the road -- sifting sand onto the stones and placing flowers and fruit here and there. I figured at the time it was some Palm Sunday activity for kids - the equivalent of finding Easter eggs or participating in some sort of contest to be judged.
I carried on, heading to a eatery called the Rainbow Cafe for lunch. I ordered a beautifully large mint tea, soup and salad, and just around the second bite of my sandwich the entire wait staff of the restaurant left their posts and rushed to the door.
Curious to the commotion, I followed them, only to see the streets lined on both sides with crowds. The sand and flowers I had previously seen on the streets before had transformed into these colorful and carefully designed carpets. And slowly and steadily coming towards them was an enormous biblical tableaux. The first platform was hoisted up by about 80 men - 40 on each side - in matching costumes, walking in unison down the street. The second platform was made up of all women - standing just as strong as their male counterparts - with their own depiction from the Bible lifted from the ground. Closing up at the end was a smaller platform (which I'm sure was still fantastically heavy) perched on the shoulders of about 20 men. In between the platforms there were full bands, blasting form their horns their ecclesiastical pronouncements.
And as the procession barreled ahead, it suddenly occurred to me that they were going to trample the handmade carpets. I quickly finished off my lunch and then took to the streets. I figured I could cut across town and get ahead of the procession so that I could capture the whimsical beauty of these carpets before they were destroyed.
But as I said before, Semana Santa is a big deal in Antigua. And the crowd was a fortress of elbows, chests and backs. It was more like a Jay-Z concert than a religious event -and it became clear there was no way I could push through that fervor. Blocked out and cut off, I managed to stave off my disappointment. After all, maybe this was the whole point of the procession - to remind the entire town once a year to take hold of each moment because nothing lasts forever.
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