Antigua was a capital of colonial Guatemala, which included all of Central America and Mexican Chiapas, from 1543 through 1773. A major administrative, business and religious center it had many palaces, grand houses, churches and convents. Antigua sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by 3 volcanoes, one of which – Fuego, has been continuously erupting for more than 20 years.
In 1773 a major earthquake destroyed Antigua and it was decided to move the capital to Guatemala City. Antigua was depopulated but not abandoned. The city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 which helped with preserving its unique architecture and culture. Today, Antigua is a major tourist attraction for its architecture and culture mix, and as a great base to hike nearby volcanoes.
We spent several days in Antigua basing ourselves in one of many boutique hotels in old converted buildings in the city center. We walked around and visited the many museums and ruins. We checked out the many art galleries and craft markets, as well as the regular market. We ate delicious food.
Hiking Acatenango volcano, the third highest in Central America at 3,976m with spectacular close up views of erupting Fuego, was definitely something we considered. But it is a serious hike and an overnight one. We decided we were not exactly fit for it. Maybe one day. We met many travelers who did it and were happy they did, even if sore. We did go for a day hike of Volcano Pataya.
We were visiting in December between Christmas and New Years and the city center was very busy with Christmas market, illuminations and cheerful crowds of locals and visitors. We felt completely safe walking around town at night.
Antigua has an impressive collection of churches, cathedrals, convents and other religious buildings. It seems every monastic order came and set up a base in Antigua. Most of these buildings were severely damaged by the 1773 earthquake. Quite a few have been restored and are now museums or functioning religious entities.
Streets of Antigua are very colorful. Many women wear traditional clothes elaborately embroidered in bright colors. Buses and tricycles are highly decorated too. And there are shops selling all kind of handicrafts and paintings everywhere one looks.
We visited the main fresh market in town located next to the handicrafts market. We were very impressed with the quality of vegetables and fresh produce in Guatemala. It must be that wonderful volcanic soil. It was just a little bit odd that in a market stalls are all intermixed. One would see vegetables sold right next to meat.
After a day of exploration it was good to watch the sunset in one of the many rooftop bars, taking in spectacular surroundings.
Our hotel also had a little rooftop and it was really nice to sit and watch all three volcanoes, including slowly erupting Fuego while sipping morning coffee.
It would have been good to hike Acatenango, but we just did not think we were fit for that. Instead we went for a short half day hike to Pataya volcano on a group hike with OX Expeditions. One is meant to see stunning views of the other volcanoes on this hike. The day we went though, by the time we reached the top view point, the cloud descended and we could not see anything. We were in the cloud. On the way down it got a bit better and we could see silhouette of one of the volcanoes. It was still fascinating to walk through lava fields. We also did have marshmallows cooked over hot lava. We may need another trip to properly explore Guatemala’s magnificent volcanoes.
After spending several days in Antigua we headed for our next stop – the beautiful Atitlan lake.