PICTURED SITES ARE DESCRIBED IN THIS TEXT.

Elderhostel describes its program as "we learn about Mayan civilization as it once existed in the lands that now are Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize. During this in-depth exploration, we trace the history of a people whose sophistication in art, architecture, and science rivaled the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. We also assess the impact of European colonization as well as modern-day descendants of the Mayan people and gain insights into contemporary issues in each country. As a special highlight, we examine some of the extraordinary excavated Mayan sites at Copan, Tikal, and Xuantunich during the 14-night program."

An index of articles related to this trip can be seen at our home page: http://www.worldisround.com/home/jdtan/index.html

If you have any questions, email them to me at jdtanner@a5.com rather than including them in your remarks at the bottom of the photo page.

Founded in 1542 because a nearby city serving as capital was destroyed by flood and earthquake, Antigua became the third capital of Spanish Guatemala. Antigua was the seat of Spanish colonial government for the Kingdom of Guatemala, which included southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The city became the most important in Central America with many buildings in ornate Spanish colonial architecture. By 1773 the city had a cathedral, government palace, more than 30 churches, 18 convents and monasteries, a university, five hospitals, and much more. At its high point of importance it had 60,000 people (which is also its current population).

Located 5,000 feet above sea level, the city was repeatedly damaged by earthquakes but rebuilt each time. However, on July 29, 1773, earthquakes caused so much damage and destruction that a petition was made to the Spanish king for permission to move the capital to a more secure location. Guatemala City was founded in 1776 and assumed the importance of Antigua which was never completely abandoned. The city with preserved and carefully restored Spanish colonial public buildings and private mansions was recognized in 1979 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site which emphasizes the uniqueness of the preserved colonial architecture and the cultural value of Antigua's beauty.

The main courtyard of La Posada de Don Rodrigo, our hotel for three nights, is still paved with cobblestones, just like it was several centuries ago. Several smaller courtyards feature beautiful plants and colorful flowers, inviting guests to stroll and relax in a unique ambiance. Mayan women spent each day in the central courtyard weaving their colorful traditional designs on backstrap looms. The hotel’s construction encompasses three old mansions, one registered as a historical monument. The hotel was about two blocks from the Central Park and convenient for walking to tourist sites anywhere in the town. My only complaint about our stay was the difficulty in the use of the skeleton key on my room door. I needed to leave ten minutes early from the room not knowing how long it would take to make proper connection with the key to turn the lock while inside the room and then to re-lock the door from the outside.

In one of the hotel courtyards after dinner our group attended a presentation or ceremony of Maya Religion and Spirituality by Calixta Gabriel. She is a Maya Kaqchikel ordained spiritual guide as well as a teacher. She is active with Maya groups in healing through spiritual guidance, and she has published books of poetry.

The Agua Volcano at an altitude of 12,325 feet offers panoramas of the Pacific Ocean and the Antigua Valley. The volcano is accessed from the town of Santa Maria de Jesus with the climb taking about five hours. It is named Agua (or Water) Volcano because of a lahar which came down in 1541 and buried the original capital of Guatemala, now known as Ciudad Vieja. A lahar is a type of mud flow composed of pyroclastic material and water that flows down from a volcano, typically along a river valley. Lahars have the consistency of concrete: wet when moving, then solid when stopped. Although the volcano has not been active since the mid 16th century, it has the potential to produce additional lahars with watery flows of mud, rock, and debris that could overwhelm the many nearby populated areas. There are two other volcanoes about the same height: Acatenango, long inactive, and the Volcán de Fuego or "Volcano of Fire". "Fuego" is famous for being almost constantly active at a low level as smoke rises from its top daily, but larger eruptions are rare.

For more than two centuries, the Palace of the Captains General was the seat of Spanish colonial government in Antigua. Construction was begun on the original building in 1549 and completed in 1558, but the building has been repeatedly reconstructed and altered following damaging earthquakes. In 1735 use of the building was begun by the Casa de la Moneda for minting of money. Most of the structure was destroyed in the 1773 earthquakes, but today the beautiful two-tiered arched façade has been restored, and the building houses government, city police, and INGUAT (Guatemala Tourist Institute) offices. The palace was heavily damaged in the February 4, 1976, earthquake, and it is only a small remnant of its former size.

Facing the Palace of the Captains General is the Ayuntamiento or city hall, dating from 1743 after replacing an earlier, smaller structure. The building was damaged very little by the 1773 earthquakes. Today it houses two museums, the Museo de Santiago and the Museo del Libro Antiguo. The Museum of Santiago has a collection of colonial furnishings, artifacts and weapons. The Old Book Museum has exhibits of colonial printing and binding. The present city hall is unchanged since it was built in 1743. Its two story facade has a stone archway, and is one of only a few remaining buildings finished in carved stone.

The Cathedral of San Jose was originally built between 1534 and 1690, with rebuildings several times due to damage by earthquakes. In 1743, Pope Benedict XIV gave it the "metropolitan" classification when it was probably the largest and most luxurious in Central America. The layout of the cathedral was typical of the Spanish cathedral of the period, grand in its architecture and decorated with great artistic treasures by contemporary sculptors, painters, and silversmiths. Today, the facade is a reconstruction of what the cathedral looked like before it fell during the 1773 earthquakes. Two of the chapels at the entrance remained almost intact; and they were restored at the beginning of the 19th century. The interior is decorated with beautiful retables and religious images. Near the main entrance there are stucco high reliefs from the latter part of the 17th century. Among the Cathedral’s ruins accessible from the side across the street from the former university, it is still possible to see some of the elaborate decorations sculptured on the dome, columns and pillars, cornices and vaults.

Designed in 1739 by Miguel Porras, one of the city's renowned colonial architects, the Fuente de las Sirenas (Fountain of the Sirens) in the Central Park is one of many fountains in Antigua's main plazas and courtyards. The fountains are more than just ornamental. Although piped water reached important buildings and dwellings in the 17th century, fountains were used to supply water for the lower classes of citizens whose dwelling were not connected to the city’s water pipes. The Fountain of the Sirens has mermaids, and there are four smaller fountains at each corner of the park.