Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Antigua, Guatemala

Semana Santa, as it is known in Latin America, is the Holy Week celebrated between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. All over central and south America this is a week of celebration; public offices are closed, and the streets are full of festivity. During Semana Santa my family was visiting during my mom’s spring break. Although we spent some of our time visiting my friends and families in Santa Lucia and La Paz, Honduras, we spent most of the week in Antigua, Guatemala at the height of Holy Week, for Black Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site has some of the most beautiful collection of Colonial style architecture from the Spanish rule. Unfortunately due to the earthquakes that have shaken this region, many of the structures you actually see are newer than they appear to be, or have had facelifts to cover the damage. The houses come right up to the street edge, and with their doors open reveal lush beautiful courtyards within.

The city itself is nestled in a valley bordered on one side by Volcan de Agua, which you can see in some of my photos. This region of Latin America is covered with volcanoes, two of which are still active. One morning I set off at 5 am to climb the still active Volcan Pacaya, which up close allows you views of flowing lava, hot rocks, and smoke fuming from the peak. The hike proved not to be so difficult, and I had a really neat time talking with some German women along the way. Since our only common means of communication was Spanish, we spent a few hours sharing stories and teaching each other new words in our foreign language.

Antigua boasts the largest Semana Santa activities in all of Latin America with over 50 celebrations and processions that go from early afternoon until after midnight. The floats that carry images of Christ, Mary Magdalene, Saint John, and other Christian figures can weight up to 3200 kg. Because of the effort it takes to manage these massive floats, it is an honor to be chosen to participate in the processions, which are typically organized by individual churches. Though Antigua continues to be a center of religious activity during Semana Santa, the influence of Evangelicals and Mormons in recent years has affected the processions due to the decreasing number of Catholics.

The most unique aspect of Semana Santa are the alfombras created in the streets where the processions pass. These elaborate “carpets” are most commonly made of dyed sawdust laid out in beautiful forms. In Antigua they also make alfombras from other materials such as flowers and coffee. The coffee alfombra was one of my favorites, and covered all the stages of coffee, from the plant, to the red and green fruits, to the toasted bean. All they were missing was a cup of coffee! One afternoon on our way back to the hotel I stopped to talk to a family working on an alfombra in front of their house. After a bit of conversation they asked if I’d like to help them, and so I spent an hour or so working with them. It was a neat experience – being a part of creating this unique art form – my fingernails got a little dirty, but it was really cool! Unfortunately when the processions come through later in the day, the carpets are destroyed under the feet of those carrying the floats.

The dominent indigenous group in the western part of Guatemala are the Mayans, a people who are very proud of their culture, and have retained much of their language, dress, and crafts. The textiles and clothing were fascinating to me because each of the intricate designs represents an aspect of the region where they come from – be it flowers, plant, or animals. The women wear three woven pieces of textile – one for the shirt, the skirt, and another belt-like piece to tie it all together at their waist. The most significant piece of clothing is the shirt, which is a rectangular shaped textile that drapes over their bodies with a hole cut in the center for their head. This round opening represents the sun, and often designs woven around the sun are in the form of the cross. It is tradition for a bride to weave a shirt for her future mother in law; if the mother approves of her work, she will allow her to marry her son. The waistband worn also signifies the marital status of a woman. Narrow belts for single women and wider belts for married women; however, pregnant women wear the widest belts as support for their unborn babies. Other textiles are used to carry goods to and from the market on their heads or to wrap babies slung over their backs.

Antigua was just beautiful and I had a great time travelling with my family! We certainly enjoyed eating, shopping, and participating in all of the festivities, but I think the most important part of the experience for me was seeing the change in my parents’ perception of Latin America. From all the news that we see in the United States, we are apt to think that places like Honduras and Guatemala are extremely dangerous. I won’t discount the violent murders that occur every day here in Honduras and elsewhere, but I realize that I feel safer here in Honduras than I have in other places I have lived in the US. And now with my ability to communicate, it has opened up a means of knowing people, making friends, and working together. This continues to be a unique experience for me, but I feel especially grateful that my parents were able to get a glimpse of what I encounter on a daily basis. One day while we were waiting for a procession to begin, I had a really interesting conversation with a woman standing in front of me. She, her husband of 13 years, and 3 children were standing in front of us because, at their small stature, we did not want to obstruct their view. The woman and I got to talking about the differences in our lives and at some point we realized that we were both 28 years old. As I relayed the conversation I was having with her to my parents in English, we laughed for a minute at the recognition of how different our lives have been in the same span of 28 years. It’s both a beautiful and different world for both of us!