June Journals
June 3rd
This will likely be my last journal entry. I will be returning home on June 9th. I am very excited to be returning home. It has been a very interesting five months, but I definitely am ready to be back home. I decided for the last entry to provide some photos that give a better sense of the city of Antigua. Antigua has been designated as a colonial city by UNESCO, and as a result, the appearance of the city must be maintained as near as possible to the appearance it had when it was the colonial capital of Central America (1543-1776). Corporate advertising is not allowed in the streets (billboards, Coca-Cola signs, etc.), and signage for shops cannot be placed at a right angle to the street, nor be constructed of neon or fluorescent colors. Businesses and houses must paint their exterior walls with colonial colors (primarily pastels). Antigua was destroyed by an earthquake in 1776 necessitating the move of the capital to its current site in Guatemala City. Because of these factors, Antigua is an interesting mixture of ruins, cobblestone streets, and re-constructed buildings. I never tire of going out for a simple walk around town. The lack of advertising material shouting at me, allows me to discover something new on each walk.
Photos:
This is a panoramic view of the city of Antigua as seen from the "Cerro de la Cruz", a hill overlooking Antigua with a large wooden cross at the top. This is a favorite destination of tourists to Antigua.
This is a photo of "La Union" park. This photo was taken early in the morning before the park fills with indigenous vendors selling their wares to tourists.
This is the "pila" at La Union with the volcano Agua in the background. This is a public washing area where many people bathe and/or wash their clothes.
Here is a picture of some of the different colors of the city. The couple who own this laundry lived in Chicago for twenty years before returning to Guatemala four years ago..
This is a picture of the multicolored buses at the bus stop. Most of these buses are old school buses brought from the US.
