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Santa
Fe means Holy Faith and holy moley these buses are impressive!
We
went to the bus station in Antigua's marketplace and for 1.5 Quetzales each, purchased a ticket to the pueblo of San
Juan del Obispo. After riding 15 or 20 minutes on roads
through the colorful shocks of bougainvilleas and trees heavy
with mangos, we arrive at our destination for the day.
This Church
is nearly 500 years old
Unpretentious and solidly built, this old church stands
in the town's central plaza.
The
renovated bell tower is on the right
Surrounded by hills and simple buildings, this quiet
village is far different than cosmopolitan Antigua.
Like
a window into Old Spain
Got
one photo off inside the church before being told 'no
photos allowed.'
The church still had its original
beams, the old carved wooden statues and paintings
darkened by age. Walking through here was like walking
through centuries past and the antiquity was palpable.
Broad
vistas from San Juan
Looking around from this mountain top town you can see
the surrounding hillsides and the famed domes of Antigua below.
The area has a distinct European feel to it. The words peaceful
and tranquil come to mind.
Billy
ringing the church bell
A very narrow, winding carved stone stairway
led us to the bell tower. One of the workers in the
church accompanied
us to the top and explained that this tower had been repaired.
Years ago in the great earthquake, the roof had fallen
down.
It wasn't clear
if he meant the 1763 earthquake that ravaged Antigua
forcing the Spaniards to move this country's capitol yet
again, or
if he was referring to another earthquake. If it was the
one in 1763,
that’s a long time to wait to repair something!
Bell
tower view
Everywhere we looked the scenery took on the appearance
of Italy, Spain or Portugal. We had to keep reminding
ourselves that we were in Guatemala.
In
the 'olden days,' people who were in charge of ringing
the church bell on schedule would often live there in
the tower. The area was spacious, airy and had great
views! Not a bad place to live, really. That is, until
the roof caved in during the unspecified earthquake.
The Adventurer's Guide to
Guatemala
Don’t go to
Guatemala without this book! Take advantage of what we know. Click
here
Rectory attached to the church
As is
often the case, rectories for the parish priest are
attached to the church. Today, this small building is
another special chapel.
We
kept thinking that at any time we'd see vineyards, smell
tomatoes cooking, find a cheese store and be able to
purchase prosciutto. Oh wait! That's Italy!
Some
students who want to learn Spanish and avoid the hassle
of living in a city come to this cobblestoned pueblo of
San Juan. Here you can arrange a homestay with a family
and live in the culture on an every day basis. Then if
you want to visit the capitol city of Antigua for
international cuisine, free jazz concerts, and large
colorful markets, just hop on a bus and you are minutes
away.
Entrance to the Palacio del Obispo
The
first Bishop of San Juan was Francisco Marroquin, and
this is the entrance to what used to be his home.
This
ornate doorway is on the street behind the attached church.
Bishop Marroquin assumed a great deal of responsibility
for the building of the second Spanish capital city of
the country of Guatemala, which is now known as Antigua.
Many Guatemalans consider him to be one of the first
Fathers of the nation.
The impressive
Palacio del Obispo
The
nuns living here are happy to show you around if you
ring the bell at a reasonable hour.
Which
is just what we did.
A
resident sister opened the door a few moments after we
buzzed, then gave
us a personal tour in Spanish.
Central fountain surrounded by gardens found in
upscale Spanish style homes
The
palace, which served as the original home of Bishop
Francisco Marroquín, was restored in 1939 to its previous
condition.
These
days, this serene location with
its manicured gardens serves as a place for spiritual
retreats.
The museum featured historical posters of the area as
well as fascinating old time maps of Spain. Several
rooms showcased the vestments of the Bishop, his Bible,
some letters, his desk, his bed and the old wooden
dining room table.
I wondered what sorts of conversations took place over those
dinners.
There
were also some ghastly items such as the instruments of
self-flagellation that were commonly used by the
faithful at this time in history. For those of you who
don't know what these are, they are basically
instruments of self-torture to bring about not only
discipline in a believer, but also, through
tremendous physical pain, a transcendence of the boundaries
of reality.
Today, we might call them sport heroes or some type of
warrior.
Sharing a papaya smoothie
After visiting through ancient Spainish and Guatemalan
history, we walked across the street and had a modern
day fruit smoothie.
For more stories,
photos and information about Antigua, click
here
For more stories and
photos of Guatemala, click
here
For
more on Retirement Topics, click
here and here
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