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| Maury Krystel | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Antigua, Guatemala (Spring 2008) | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
 Alfombras or carpets are made from flowers, fruits, and colored sawdust pressed into elaborate stencils |
 Processions begin and end at a church. They wander through the town's streets and take from 6 to 14 hours! |
 San Jose Cathedral as seen from the main square |
 Palace of the Captains General - from the square |
 City Hall - also from the square |
 Ruins behind San Jose Cathedral. Many earthquakes have destoyed much of the original town. |
 Typical Antigua street scene where everything is hidden behind walls |
 Sunset with Agua Volcano looming in the distance |
 Santa Catarina Arch |
 Our Lady of the Mercedes Church |
 Mimi overlooking the garden courtyard of our B & B |
 Young Church-goer |
 Many beautiful doors, windows and walls remain with original architecture of colonial times |
 Two restaurant employess wait for the dinner crowd |
 A local marketplace |
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 A look through an open doorway often results in a pleasant surprise. |
 Another typical interior courtyard |
 Beautiful Mayan handmade textile clothing |
 Wooden handcrafted items made by skilled artisans |
 Colorful handpuppet |
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 San Francisco el Grande Church |
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 San Jose el Viejo Ruins |
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 Compania de Jesus Ruins |
 Conciege desk at Santo Domingo Hotel, the finest in Antigua |
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 Women doing laundry at Tanque de la Union |
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 Lake Atitlan |
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 Nice place to rest our feet and have lunch |
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 Getting ready for a Procession at La Merced |
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 A "station" at San Francisco |
 The crowds get larger as Good Friday (Viernes Santo) approaches |
 Many alfombras begin with a leveling layer of sand. The intricate carpets are considered a blessing to build. |
 All-organic alfombra |
 Even the very young can pitch in |
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 Some of the faithful will work through the night to complete the alfombras |
 "Alfombra watching" is great fun |
 The simplest of sawdust creations |
 And from there, they only get more elaborate. |
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 Amazingly, these elaborate creations will only be seen for a few hours before being destroyed |
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 Many different Processions pass through the streets |
 Each Procession will have its own distinctive look |
 The Anda, a hardwood float weighing between 3,000 and 7,000 pounds, is the centerpiece of each Procession. |
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 The youngest processioner |
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 The purple clad "cucuruchos" march beside many alfombras |
 "Roman soldiers" add color to the pagentry |
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 Bird's eye view of approaching Procession |
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 Smoke and incense add to the mystical feeling |
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 The Anda appears through the smoke |
 An alfombra about to meet its destiny |
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 The sad fate for all alfombras |
 Before they are swept away, kids find one last use for the alfombras. |
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| comment | share |
| Marc Freedman | 31-May-2008 23:48 | |
| Ali Majdfar | 15-May-2008 08:37 | |