Modern Antigua
3 June 2017
Guat’s Up!
So said an appealing T-shirt at the market we visited this afternoon in Antigua. Our shopping spree doubled as a first-rate lesson in negotiating, converting currencies, and getting scammed, but nonetheless resulted in soccer jerseys, paintings, jewelry, and other such “souvenirs.” One shopkeeper even offered Jarrett Irwin a jade chess set for some Quetzales and his safari hat (considered and denied). However, the market, despite all its glam and scam, wasn’t the most interesting part of Antigua.
The day started with an hour-long bus ride, during which we got to meet our new Step by Step friends, Léon, Miriam, and Haiti. After stopping atop a hill to enjoy the view, we arrived at an ornate cathedral, steeped in many hundreds of years of history, and celebrated Mass. Despite the barrage of Spanish homilies and hymns, we still deciphered a fitting sermon about how each of us ought to use our gifts and charisma to help others. Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the Jade Museum, home of the best jade facility in all of Guatemala. Not only do they produce high-quality jade, they also enrich their visitors with the Mayan heritage inherent to Guatemalan culture. Did you know that the Mayans regarded jade as the most valuable mineral before the Spanish came along and called it worthless next to gold? Judging by the prices in the gift shop, jade has since rediscovered its worth.
After the jade museum came the chocolate museum, which was less ornate but decidedly more delicious. We learned how chocolate was produced, then sampled it in all its varieties—milk, dark, and tea. We then walked to a centuries-old Jesuit building which had briefly fallen into disrepair and thus caused most of the statues to lose their heads. After group photos and photobombs (here’s looking at you, Jack and Jarrett), we ate a traditional Guatemalan lunch at a famous restaurant. One of the seats had a plaque claiming that Bill Clinton sat there.
Once our stomachs were sufficiently filled, and their cinnamon coffee sufficiently enjoyed, we proceeded to spend all our money—dollars and quetzales—at the market. Finally, we stopped at a coffee plantation, and further proved that American coffee and coffee plants (even those grown by English teachers) simply cannot compare to the Guatemalan versions. As would befit a town whose name means “old,” Antigua offered a lot of history in many forms.
Today was a blast, but it was just the start of our journey. Tomorrow the real work begins, as we start doing the service for which we all volunteered. However, we’re more excited than ever to get started.
by: Dylan Francis and Misael Beltran-Guzman
Guat’s Up!
So said an appealing T-shirt at the market we visited this afternoon in Antigua. Our shopping spree doubled as a first-rate lesson in negotiating, converting currencies, and getting scammed, but nonetheless resulted in soccer jerseys, paintings, jewelry, and other such “souvenirs.” One shopkeeper even offered Jarrett Irwin a jade chess set for some Quetzales and his safari hat (considered and denied). However, the market, despite all its glam and scam, wasn’t the most interesting part of Antigua.
The day started with an hour-long bus ride, during which we got to meet our new Step by Step friends, Léon, Miriam, and Haiti. After stopping atop a hill to enjoy the view, we arrived at an ornate cathedral, steeped in many hundreds of years of history, and celebrated Mass. Despite the barrage of Spanish homilies and hymns, we still deciphered a fitting sermon about how each of us ought to use our gifts and charisma to help others. Shortly thereafter, we arrived at the Jade Museum, home of the best jade facility in all of Guatemala. Not only do they produce high-quality jade, they also enrich their visitors with the Mayan heritage inherent to Guatemalan culture. Did you know that the Mayans regarded jade as the most valuable mineral before the Spanish came along and called it worthless next to gold? Judging by the prices in the gift shop, jade has since rediscovered its worth.
After the jade museum came the chocolate museum, which was less ornate but decidedly more delicious. We learned how chocolate was produced, then sampled it in all its varieties—milk, dark, and tea. We then walked to a centuries-old Jesuit building which had briefly fallen into disrepair and thus caused most of the statues to lose their heads. After group photos and photobombs (here’s looking at you, Jack and Jarrett), we ate a traditional Guatemalan lunch at a famous restaurant. One of the seats had a plaque claiming that Bill Clinton sat there.
Once our stomachs were sufficiently filled, and their cinnamon coffee sufficiently enjoyed, we proceeded to spend all our money—dollars and quetzales—at the market. Finally, we stopped at a coffee plantation, and further proved that American coffee and coffee plants (even those grown by English teachers) simply cannot compare to the Guatemalan versions. As would befit a town whose name means “old,” Antigua offered a lot of history in many forms.
Today was a blast, but it was just the start of our journey. Tomorrow the real work begins, as we start doing the service for which we all volunteered. However, we’re more excited than ever to get started.
by: Dylan Francis and Misael Beltran-Guzman
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