The plaque visible to the left is one which is displayed at the entrance to Casa Santo Domingo. If you will snap the mouse on the image, you can get a better idea of just how old some of these buildings are. One of the walls in an apartment on the Philippi compound shares a wall from this former structure. Its walls are over a yard in width. I have nicknamed that dwelling Las Ruinas. We enter and depart through this magnificient old ruin which bears the marks of a terrifying earthquake when destruction spread havoc throughout this area. At one time, this was perhaps the largest administrative center between Lima, Peru and Mexico City.
But tonight we met our friend Mary who is down here on a mission which is vested with the responsibilities of providing fresh and potable water for villages not terribly distant from Antigua. She alternates between and among the Central American countries, doing various missions every year. She studies Spanish at one of the local Spanish schools but restricts her studies to only two hours daily. It seems to be sufficient to help her brush up on items that she has forgotten.
I mentioned previously about the restaurant and of its owners and managers. The gentleman pictured on the large drum is one of the owners. He and his wife have given up living on a sailboat and have retired to Antigua where they consider the restaurant a hobby. We talked with him and his wife this evening and he said that if they break even, it is a good year. They are not here to make money but to enjoy life which it appears that they do. The other owner is the man seated adjacent to the other owner on the left. We enjoyed a great supper and then waited for the combo to begin their haunting strains at half seven. In almost all eating establishments in this city and perhaps in all of Guatemala, one must ask for the check. Nobody rushes and nobody employed in most establishments would ever think of presenting a check on the table before it was requested. But, we finally did get the attention of a waiter and he assisted us with the closure of our happy experience. A fun time and we will again visit these happy people.
On our way home, we all commented on the deserted streets and town in general. Bear in mind that it was only half eight when we departed the restaurant. All of us have been here at least three times previously and it is absolutely certain in our minds that the economy has taken a hit here too. We were given assurances from the owners of the restaurant that each of the past two years has been poorer in terms of the generation of monies than the one immediately prior. We passed through the empty but lighted streets and finally made it to the Parque Central which was still decorated for Christmas. But, over to the west lateral of the park we spied the cathedral, La Catedral de Santiago, an image of which appears above and, as stated below in the Spanish, gorgeous during a night visitation and view! .
Ahora, un poco en español: La Catedral de Santiago, situada en el Parque Central, se empezó a construir en 1542. Fue derribada y reconstruida varias veces durante los dos siglos siguientes a causa de sucesivos terremotos. La actual catedral es mucho más pequeña de lo que fue en sus orígenes, ya que únicamente se reconstruyó una pequeña parte en el XIX. De hecho, ya no se la considera catedral, sino iglesia parroquial. Lo que más destaca de su interior no son tanto las obras de arte o la arquitectura, sino ver a los antigüeños rezar y orar a la par que no abandonan costumbres como la de decorar con guirnaldas vegetales los altares, colocar velas en el suelo... Es, además, un lugar tranquilo y muy adecuado para relajarse un rato.
Pero lo mejor, sin duda alguna, es ver la catedral iluminada por la noche, desde el Parque Central. Su belleza en impresionante... Uno de esos pocos edificios que no importa de que época sean o lo bien que estén hechos, sino las sensaciones que suscitan. La Catedral de Santiago nos devuelve a otro tiempo, de colonos, indios y criollos... Bellísima.
Construction on the original Catedral of Santiago, located adjacent to Central Park, was begun in 1542. The edifice was demolished and rebuilt several times over the next two centuries because of successive earthquakes. The current cathedral is much smaller than it was at origin because only a small portion was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. It is, in fact, no longer considered a cathedral, but a church. What stands out most about this church is not its art or architecture, but the fact that the residents of Antigua still pray and, simultaneously fail to abandon long-held customs such as decorating the altars with garlands and vegetables as well as the placement of candles on the floor .. . it is also a quiet and very suitable sanctuary where one can relax a while and maybe even pray.
But perhaps the most thrilling is to see the cathedral illuminated at night from the vantage point of Central Park. It bespeaks awesome beauty ... it is one of few buildings that, regardless of age or how well constructed, the Cathedral of Santiago brings one back to another time, of the colonists, the Indians and of the Creoles ... it is breathtakingly Beautiful.
Ahora, un poco en español: La Catedral de Santiago, situada en el Parque Central, se empezó a construir en 1542. Fue derribada y reconstruida varias veces durante los dos siglos siguientes a causa de sucesivos terremotos. La actual catedral es mucho más pequeña de lo que fue en sus orígenes, ya que únicamente se reconstruyó una pequeña parte en el XIX. De hecho, ya no se la considera catedral, sino iglesia parroquial. Lo que más destaca de su interior no son tanto las obras de arte o la arquitectura, sino ver a los antigüeños rezar y orar a la par que no abandonan costumbres como la de decorar con guirnaldas vegetales los altares, colocar velas en el suelo... Es, además, un lugar tranquilo y muy adecuado para relajarse un rato.
Pero lo mejor, sin duda alguna, es ver la catedral iluminada por la noche, desde el Parque Central. Su belleza en impresionante... Uno de esos pocos edificios que no importa de que época sean o lo bien que estén hechos, sino las sensaciones que suscitan. La Catedral de Santiago nos devuelve a otro tiempo, de colonos, indios y criollos... Bellísima.
Construction on the original Catedral of Santiago, located adjacent to Central Park, was begun in 1542. The edifice was demolished and rebuilt several times over the next two centuries because of successive earthquakes. The current cathedral is much smaller than it was at origin because only a small portion was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. It is, in fact, no longer considered a cathedral, but a church. What stands out most about this church is not its art or architecture, but the fact that the residents of Antigua still pray and, simultaneously fail to abandon long-held customs such as decorating the altars with garlands and vegetables as well as the placement of candles on the floor .. . it is also a quiet and very suitable sanctuary where one can relax a while and maybe even pray.
But perhaps the most thrilling is to see the cathedral illuminated at night from the vantage point of Central Park. It bespeaks awesome beauty ... it is one of few buildings that, regardless of age or how well constructed, the Cathedral of Santiago brings one back to another time, of the colonists, the Indians and of the Creoles ... it is breathtakingly Beautiful.
Now we are back at the compound and making preparations for bed. The weather is absolutely gorgeous with daytime temperatures hitting into the seventies and nighttime lows perhaps reaching into the fifties. The windows remain open and a light blanket provides more than sufficient warmth. There is safety and security within the walls of the compound. Most are at least six feet in height but the front wall is nearly three yards in height. The dogs roam about the place as would sovereigns but they know who is welcome and who might be an intruder. The cats from neighbors seem to enjoy taunting them as they prance along the perimeters far out of their reach. Paul assured me though that they would be meat should they miss a step and fall into the gardens. Such is life here.
I am positive that I will be able to share more with you tomorrow. Until that time, I bid you adiós.
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