Guatemala 2018

Saturday24November

Back to where it all began (at least our journey), in the city of Antigua. We return here because, as we saw at Lake Atitlán, the Fuego volcano is erupting again. For now, it's dormant. In any case, every time we glance at it...

For the last two nights, we negotiate a significant discount at an out-of-budget but well-located hotel in the city: Posada San Sebastián. Luckily, the owner agrees, struggling to fill his rooms at the end of the season!  

A short stroll through the El Carmen artisan market.

Passing again under the Santa Catalina Arch.

A McDonald's that, for once, blended into the landscape...

San José Cathedral.

On June 3, 2018, the Fuego volcano violently erupted: "Projecting ash more than 2,200 meters above the crater, the eruption forced the temporary closure of La Aurora International Airport and the immediate evacuation of several thousand people. 114 deaths and hundreds missing, as well as dozens injured, were reported, mainly in villages destroyed by pyroclastic flows and lahars." © Wikipedia

Here are some images from the time of the tragedy...

We pass by one of the devastated villages, San Miguel Los Lotes, now enclosed behind a stone dike.

One can imagine the streets filled with mud and covered in ash...

The area has been completely devastated...

Former residents returned to the scene and refusing to leave their homes?

Back under the arch of Antigua where newlyweds pose as much for their photographer as for the tourists...  

Sunday25November

Here we are at the café "Cookies etc." where we begin our last Guatemalan day. And as we were discussing the fact that we would leave the country without having seen a volcanic eruption, my gaze wandered vaguely through the window overlooking the Fuego volcano... And suddenly I noticed the incredible plume of ash rising into the sky before my eyes!!!   The table next to us didn't react! What's happening? Is it serious? Not serious?... Just a few clicks of the camera and in 10 minutes, the wind had already dispersed the ash into a simple cloud... Then again, an eruption occurred, and so on every 20 minutes... In short, the ordinary life of Antigua since the volcano reawakened 15 days ago...  

We decide to go to the roof of La Merced church to better contemplate the cyclical eruptions of the volcano. On the way, a bride in black poses amidst Antigua's ancient backdrop...

La Merced church, in full service, is also one of the places allowing you to get elevated for a beautiful view of the city and its volcanoes.

Here we are on the roof of the church with the Fuego volcano, which will provide us with some eruptions, not of its magma, but of the ash accumulated in its cone.

The ash cloud, once pushed aside by the wind, is difficult to distinguish from other nearby clouds.

Eruptions occur every 15 or 20 minutes, slowly forming a column of smoke. Its height here must undoubtedly be several hundred meters.

The volcano culminates at 3,763 meters above sea level.

Here are two videos I made. The first is a timelapse, so the video is accelerated 2 or 3 times compared to reality. The second video is in real-time... Well yes, sending tons of ash into the sky takes time and doesn't happen in a snap!  

And meanwhile, a princess is being photographed in the church patio...

The terrace of La Merced church.

And her princess...  

This year, 2018, the church celebrates its 800th anniversary! And just as many earthquakes...

The Catalina Arch and in the background, not the Fuego (fire) volcano but the Agua (water) volcano... Unlike its neighbor, it has been inactive for 10,000 years.

Straight from Mexican culture, this Catrín is the masculine version of the Calavera Garbancera or Catrina. It symbolizes the following metaphor: after death, no matter one's wealth, we all end up identical as skeletons... Unless it's just a mariachi from beyond the grave on the Day of the Dead, begging for alms to return whence he came...    

Definitely, this Sunday is the day for photo shoots in grand attire...

A quick detour and last purchases in the El Carmen artisan market.

Final stage of the trip, Guatemala City, truly named Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also simply called Ciudad de Guatemala. The city replaced the old capital Antigua after the destructive earthquakes of 1776.

The first foundations of Santiago de Guatemala Cathedral date back to 1782.

Jean-Marie Vianney, the Curé of Ars. The Frenchman most often seen in Latin American churches.

A well-guarded guardian...  

In the central park facing the cathedral, it's a celebration. Just one month before Christmas, the Navideño Paseo de la Sexta festival offers the city's inhabitants a whole host of activities and events, including an outdoor ice rink...

The little ones (and adults) can even indulge in the pleasure of a snowball fight.  

The National Palace of Culture.

Behind the Red Cross, Saint Teresa's Church with its domes.

The interior of Saint Teresa's Church and the enormous Jesus carrying his cross.

Some walls covered with posters recall Guatemala's recent and difficult history, regularly plunged into civil war until 1996. The posters notably demand recognition of the Mayan genocide and answers regarding the disappearance of hundreds of people under the dictatorship of General Rios Montt.

The central market where stalls overflow with goods, whether plant-based or animal-based...

On the left, soursops (Annona muricata). These large green fruits taste like Malabar chewing gum...  

After the food market, the mercantile trinket market...

Sundays here, as elsewhere, fill the pedestrian streets of Guatemala.

Huipiles (traditional garments) are more discreet in the capital, yet so present in the rest of the country.

Fortunately, huipil vendors have enough to satisfy all the needs of many Guatemalans still deeply rooted in the country's ancestral traditions.

Last lunch... Last frijoles!  

Nothing to declare, sir!

Before reaching Antigua, we pass by a small curiosity built at the beginning of the 20th century: Mapa en relieve, a "relief map" that represents the entire country by exaggerating the scale of altitudes.

An opportunity for us to revisit our "little" Guatemalan loop over the last 4 weeks...  

Lake Atitlán...

Pacaya Volcano...

Fuego Volcano...

The other curiosity is the bomberos! (firefighters). They stand in the middle of the road to ask for some coins... Perhaps more effective than calendars...  

Back to our hotel. More precisely, to its terrace offering a nice view of the city.

Last courtesy visit to the emblematic Santa Catalina Arch.

Monday26November

Before the last breakfast, I go up to the hotel's rooftop terrace to greet the Fuego volcano, which politely does the same with its large plume.  

As the day before, but this time without surprise, from my table at " Cookies etc.", I can watch the Fuego volcano erupt like a metronome...

It's hard to say goodbye to a new friend. I go up to the top of the hotel one more time, and this time truly for the last time, I say goodbye to him and keep this image of the fragile rooftops facing the menacing yet superb potentially fiery cone...

Back to square one... Here we are at Guatemala City airport. Our counter shows 2361 kilometers, and just as many incredible and volcanic images that the country has filled me with! A big thank you for that and maybe see you next time!