The view of one of the three volcanos from our rooftop garden in Antigua. This volcano's display was unpredicatable, and even though I spent time at night on the roof, I never saw the red glow of lava. Oh, the three volcanos are Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. I don't know which one this is!Antigua was significantly destroyed by the earthquakes in 1773. The 38 churches were mostly destroyed, too. After the capital was moved to Guatemala City, the city was plundered for building material, but was never abandoned. Coffee helped rebuilt the city in the early 1800's, and coffee remains an important crop today. Another terrible earthquake struck in 1976, causing more damage, but the city seems to hold on no matter how much damage it sees again and again.
Stuart, charming some of the college women visiting the city. Taken on the rooftop at the Black Cat Hotel.
One of the important churches, the Catedral de Santiago was rebuilt after the 1773 earthquake. By then, most artisans had moved to Guatemala City. In the rebuilding, the statues were all built without heads and many without hands because the local talent couldn't create those important features with any skill. We marvel at the idea, because today, talent would be imported from wherever necessary.
This three-wheeled vehicle is called a tuk tuk, and they are used in every city we passed through. Very useful becuase they are small and can navigate many of the narrow streets too small for even a VW Beetle; they are gas efficient which makes them cheap; and they are easy to maintain. They have a two-stroke engine. We hired this one to take us to the Cero de Cruz, the Hill of the Cross, a park overlooking the city. I thought the little motor would not make the steep climb, but it did!Many tuk tuk owners decorate their rides, and some are downright gaudy. This one was undecorated, except for the Jesus stickers on the windshield and a sticker on the back saying that God is his co-pilot. A small version of a Chicken Bus!!
No comments:
Post a Comment