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June-August 2004
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| We came to Antigua for a week, but we
stayed for the summer.
This is Parque Central on a Sunday afternoon.
Much of what happens in Antigua begins in Parque Central. It is a
common meeting place for friends, a convenient short cut to anywhere in
the city, a great place to look at
whatever kinds of people you prefer.
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This is the central fountain in the
Parque Central. It's our favorite fountain anywhere. There are
four women, equally spaced around the fountain, water comes from all
their breasts. Pretty explicit for this catholic town. |
| One of many mariachi bands that plays in
the Parque Central on Sundays |
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There are volcanoes all around Antigua,
so there is a cool green checkerboard view from every street. |
| One of many ruined churches in Antigu.
Earthquakes are common here, so there are lots of buildings in various
stages of ruin and repair. |
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Huipils (woven, embroidered, blouses)
for sale in the Artisan's Market . Each huipil has a particular
stylized pattern and design, and each design comes from
a different pueblo or community.
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There is so much color in the Mercado
Artesinos that it fills up our eyes |
| But I can't get enough of these colors; I
go back again and again. |
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This man has the best bags in the city. I covet the blue one
in the center. |
| Can you say textiles? I am enchanted by
all these fabrics. These particular fabrics are hammocks. |
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Antigua Buses: Serious, fabulous, busses.
These amazing vehicles are 'chicken busses', the local transportation.
Chicken busses are notorious all over Mexico and Central America, but we
think they reach their full destiny as an art form here in Guatemala. They are called chicken busses because
they are quite likely to transport a crate of chickens, a basket of
crabs, whatever. |
| Chicken busses are generally old
yellow school busses, painted with acrylics in bright Guatemalan
colors. Also, the two-person seats on each side have been removed
and replaced with three-person seats on each side. So the aisle on
most chicken busses is about 8 inches wide, maybe almost wide enough for your
hips, if you go in sideways. When there are three people in a seat, the person on the
aisle has to stand up to let the oncoming passengers move back.
Its a total experience. |
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Chicken Busses usually have three men
working them: one driver, one money handler, and one
'caller?' The driver drives the bus, a full time job. The
money handler works his way back and forth somehow along the aisle,
squeezing between and among the seated and standing pasangers (remember
there are 3-person seats on either side of the aisle). |
| The 'Caller?' stands on the front steps,
calling out the destination, and inviting people aboard. "Tigua,
Tigua, Tigua', for Antigua, or, 'Guate, Guate, Guate', for Guatemala
City. At certain stops, the Caller invites hawkers aboard to sell food,
drink, ballpoint pens, Jesus or whatever. The Caller might jump
off the front steps and reboard the bus at the rear, recruiting
passengers. Often the Bus will stop and wait until there are
enough fares to warrant continuing. |
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This is the Bus Terminal in Antigua, a
big open lot behind the Mercado. You can catch your bus here, or
on the street. |
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