October Break Part #3: Guatemala (La Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala). 10.12-17.14-ish

Aaaand finally, the last of our three part “October Break Recap.”

Given that we spent the second week of October break in what is essentially a living colonial museum, I’ll start off with a mini-history lesson…(that’s a warning so you can skip ahead if you want to)...

— History Lesson Part #1: For clarification, we were in Antigua, Guatemala. But there is something hysterical (and historical) about the ridiculous length of the city’s original name. Thank goodness sports teams weren't big back then because "Go Boston!" rolls off the tongue much better than “Go Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala!"

Not so sure "Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala" would work as well on a t-shirt...

— History Lesson Part #2: Antigua was founded back in the 1500’s by the not-so-nice Conquistador, Pedro de Alvarado. After repeatedly lying to various indigenous groups (“i’m your buddy!”) and then betraying them (“nah…i’m gong to kill you and take your lands, too”) he figured he needed to build a nice, safe little city from which to run this whole Central-America thing. Like all of his Conquistador pals, wrapping himself in a cozy layer of European monarchy and religion was a way to justify any of his abhorrent behavior and the name and focus of the city was no exception to this rule. It was “noble and loyal” (to the Spanish crown) and dedicated to the “Knights of St. James” (thinking God might be ok with the killing, enslaving and so on, as long as a bit of the stolen wealth was put toward building some monasteries and churches). Actually, the place was filled with more monasteries and churches per capita than anywhere else in the world (I don’t know if that last fact is true…just seems that way).

All this double-crossing is getting awwwwkward. I need to build me a safe little city with a lot of churches!

— History Lesson Part #3: For a couple-hundred years, MNyMLCdSdlCdG (that’s kinda like writing “L.A.” or “NYC”) prospered. It was the religious and economic capital of the region. Made tons of money as the commercial center between Mexico City and Peru (the big mineral wealth end points of the empire). And so on. BUT then a series of earthquakes flattened the place in the 1770’s. The government decided to rebuild in the location of what is now Guatemala City but a few hardy soles stayed behind to rebuild into the ruins of the old capital…probably sensing that if they held onto their homes for a couple hundred years, the place would eventually pass through being a backpacker destination through to being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and suddenly their real estate would be worth millions as the tourism picked up and went increasingly upscale. Those 1770’s Guatemalans were thinking ahead! I think they were also that when that development DID happen, their city name would look ridiculous on t-shirts and so they seized upon the opportunity to rename the place “Old Guatemala City”…eventually dropping the “Guatemala City” part and leaving the place to be called “Antigua.”

Ruins, ruins everywhere...but stick a door in 'em and you can build awesome stuff on the other side of the walls!

— History Lesson Part #4: The backpackers and artists staked out their claim decades ago. Language schools popped up all over the place. Cafes and book stores. The old ruins of the original city were everywhere you looked…crumbled stone walls. Half standing churches. A few famously undamaged buildings (the Santa Catalina Arch, etc.). Then, as is often the case, more mainstream tourists figured out that the backpacker and artists were onto something and started moving in. The parades of Semana Santa (Holy Week…before Easter) were a big draw. Developers started moving in and building higher-end hotels and restaurants…but they did so in an incredible way — they simply built their stuff into and around the old 1500’s ruins and 1700’s/1800’s colonial buildings. The result is incredible.

In short...Antigua rocks. I’ve been to a lot of places around the world and I still have this little town on my favorite-places list (it’s technically a “city” but there are probably only 35,000 people who live there…plus a bazillion tourists, of course). There are old cobble-stone cities in Europe. There are places around the world with beautiful weather and scenic backdrops. There are places with heavy indigenous influences that are eye-opening to see. But this is a town of 35,000 that combines them all in one tiny place. It is mesmerizing.

Views like this are around every corner.

We were wondering whether the kids would be into it or if they would even appreciate the uniqueness of what they were seeing — they did. Big time. A few highlights and musings and ramblings…

— The hotel we stayed at (the Casa Santo Domingo) is now on our short-list of favorite hotels in the world. We’ve stayed in places that are theoretically more “luxurious” but this place is just…DIFFERENT. It feels like the setting for a movie. Like most of Antigua, it looks like nothing from the street. Antigua streets are simply colorful but plain-walled buildings that go right up to the street…it’s like the Costa Rican “Porton” concept on steroids (see previous post on Portones). You never know when you go into a little door in the wall whether or not you are entering a cute but tiny space or whether or not the house/store/restaurant/hotel you are entering is actually massive. In the case of the Casa Santo Domingo, the hotel property must cover half a NYC city block. It’s crazy. It was built into the ruins of a 1500’s monastery. Parts of those ruins still stand (e.g. they have a functioning chapel for weddings that is built into three standing walls from the original chapel with a tent-like cover over the space). There are underground crypts that the kids loved exploring (complete with underground chapels, art from 100’s of years ago, and of course rooms filled with the bones of former monastery residents…that was a hit). The place is breathtaking and highly recommended.

Outside, the hotel looks like just another city block surrounded by an old wall...

This is a view of some of the ruins that are INSIDE the hotel. Outside it look like a regular city block...inside you get this...

Audrey and I decided one of the kids HAS to have a destination wedding here someday. : )

In the "hallway" (all outdoors with a veranda cover over it) at night.

— Another example of something we probably never would have realized back home…we learned in Antigua that Jack and Ella (in particular) absolutely love looking at and discussing art (those of you who know our kids are saying “what?!?!”). The hotel contains multiple museums built into the old ruins and during the first rainy afternoon while I got some work done, Audrey took the kids to look at some of the 20th century surrealist paintings. They LOVED it and kept asking to go look at more art on subsequent days. We’ll always be thankful to Antigua for that little lesson. Ironically, the uber-artist of the group (Charlie) has zero interest in discussing art (“why do i want to talk about the stuff? I just want to MAKE it myself.”).

I should have taken pics of the museums but I blanked. I did take this one on the way out...setting up for a new exhibit in the hotel lobby...

I think this is an interpretive/artsy pose...

— One highlight of the Antigua trip was the ChocoMuseo. If you are ever in Antigua with kids, this is a great take. You spend about 40 minutes learning about the history of chocolate — which they teach you in a very entertaining way…sprinkling in enough funny anecdotes that even a six year old like Liadan pays attention. (For example, what six year old isn’t going to giggle when the guy explains that the Spaniards changed the name to “chocolate" because it didn’t go over well when they first showed up and the Aztecs handed them a thick brown drink and said “have some cacahuatl…it’s great!” For the Aztecs, that meant “cacao water” but for Spaniards and anyone else speaking a Romance-language, the idea of “caca water” carried a different connotation.) Any-who. AFTER the lesson, the kids get to MAKE their own chocolate. The grind beans. Roast beans. Make different types of chocolate drinks. And (finally) make their own candies. We had to make two trips, actually…because Charlie’s high fever from Tikal made its way to Liadan in Antigua. So the first trip to the ChocoMuseo was made by me and the three older ones. Audrey took Liadan a couple of days later when she felt better (and Ella, aka “Hairy Head” found a way to weasel her way in for more chocolate under the auspices of “girl bonding time”).

Hell-bent on turning that crank HERSELF.

— We originally had big plans to tour all over the place around Antigua (hiking volcanoes, a trip to the lake, etc.). But with the fever (the one that left Charlie “totes, totes down in the dumps” for a day) making its way around, and with there being so much to do and see just walking around and exploring Antigua we did a very un-Gavin thing and SHELVED our spastic plans in favor of a much more mellow stay in Antigua. We walked a lot. Found bookstores. Went to the markets. Hung out in cafe’s and in the park. Looked at art. Played bananagrams out in one of the covered communal areas of the hotel during the rainy part of the day. Etc. It was awesome.

Adorable 100-year-old candy shop (those "lucky owl" piggy banks are EVERYWHERE in Antigua, btw).

Taking a break after a LOT of walking...

Not sure why Liadan is grumpy in this one...!

At the market (markets are a MAZE of stalls...)

— I turned 42 while we were in Antigua (hmmm…I just noticed the strange poetic coincidence there…turning 42 in a place called “Old”…). It was a great bday! It hit me that the benefits of having that bit of extra time down here manifest themselves in unexpected ways. One example is the bday cards and gifts from the kids this year. Don’t get me wrong…the kids have always made adorable and thoughtful cards in the past. But the thought they put into this year’s was touching in a way I won’t ever forget. They are becoming good little creative writers who are learning to better and better express themselves. Audrey and I also got out for dinner on our own that night. We ordered the kids room service (you would have thought we had bought them a pony based on the reaction to that announcement) and popped downstairs on our own. Everybody wins!

The kids were in HEAVEN with their room service!

— I have written a lot about the beauty of Antigua. And it IS beautiful. Part of what makes it beautiful is the MIX of colonial architecture and Mayan indigenous color. But the reality is that they WAY those two things come together can be a bit unsettling at times and unfortunately it also highlights some of the downside of tourist-areas in developing countries like this. Generally speaking (not universally speaking but for the most part) the hotels, restaurants, boutiques, etc. are owned by those of more Spaniard and mestizo descent. The more traditional, Mayan populations live outside the city and travel in to make a few bucks. Some do so in more established ways (through Cooperatives with stores, etc.). But many hawk wares (aggressively) on the streets, beg or look to shine shoes, etc. It is an in-your-face reminder of the MASSIVE socio-economic disparities both in this country and in the world.

— Jack (in particular) talked a LOT about this during our time in Antigua. About how he felt uncomfortable being unable to buy something from EVERY street vendor and being unable to donate to EVERY person begging on the street. In Costa Rica, while you DO see more poverty than in the U.S. it isn’t THAT prevalent or in your face. But when you drive through Guatemala City and see some strikingly poor areas, or walk through Antigua and get approached every 60 seconds, or when you note in every hotel that the employees where buttons now saying “We do NOT support the sexual exploitation of minors. If you violate these laws you WILL be arrested.” (yes, that made for a sobering conversation but only with Jack…not the others yet). All of it makes your head spin and it brings you back to the concept I mentioned in yesterday’s post…that these trips provide a CONTEXT that enables the kids to actually LEARN something that would be just about impossible otherwise. I can say all I want about how my grandparents didn’t have “big jobs” not because they lacked ability but because they lacked educational opportunities growing up…but it feels so far away. As a parent in those instances you feel like a Charlie-Brown-Special grownup (“wah, wah, wah, wah, wah…”). But when they SEE all of this, they WANT to talk about it and they WANT to try to understand.

Antigua is definitely on our list of places to return to someday. Whether that be as a family or just Audrey and I putting it on the "gotta go there together someday" list remains to be seen. But it is a magical place to visit. As is so much of Guatemala. It is a nation of paradoxical beauty and danger. A country whose distribution of wealth is staggeringly out of whack. A place whose fits and starts toward stability over the past decades seem doomed to always end up back in some level of chaos.

But the kindness of the people, the creative energy, the proud history...they all combine to give you hope. The Quetzal is more than just the national bird of Guatemala. It is the national symbol as well. Every quetzal every trapped or forced to live in captivity has died. They can only live when they are free. You have to hope that this symbolism is never lost nor is the hope that it brings with it...that eventually Guatemala will find a way to replace the toxic mix that infects so much of the country today with the stability and freedom of opportunity that people everywhere deserve.