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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