Photos from Antigua Guatemala

Here are some photos from my trip to Antigua Guatemala in February 2015.

Located in a small park, the Tanque de la Union is a communal laundry spot. It’s been around awhile — it opened in 1853. During my visit, I didn’t see many people doing laundry. It’s a great place for photos.

Tanque de la Unión

Tanque de la Union

On the other side of that small park is one of my favorite churches in Antigua, Iglesia San Pedro. The church is a beautiful design, and the light yellow makes for wonderful photographs against the blue skies.

La Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol

Another nice church was located in the Santa Ana neighborhood, somewhat southeast of the center of Antigua. This modest baroque church was apparently constructed around 1541, and has been damaged a half-dozen times in various earthquakes. The plaza was very quiet, and it was worth the walk to see the church.

Iglesia Santa Ana

I took the photo below on my walk toward Santa Ana:

Stop sign on the southeast side of Antigua Guatemala

I ran into this group of chuchos, or street dogs, several times during my visit. They were kind enough to sit still while I took a photo:

Street dogs, Antigua Guatemala

This building faces the main square, the street in front of it was under renovation during my visit. I don’t know its purpose, but the wonderful arches caught my eye.

Arches on Antigua’s Main Square

No visit to Antigua would be complete without a photo of the iconic Santa Catalina Arch. Built in the 17th century, it allowed nuns from the Santa Catalina convent to pass over the road below undisturbed. This photo was taken in the early morning, the Volcano Agua is behind, but not visible due to low-lying clouds.

Arco Santa Catalina

I took this head-on photo of a chicken bus at the Antigua bus station, which is basically a giant dirt parking lot full of beautifully decorated buses. They are typically old school buses which have been painted and chromed, they are rolling works of art.

Antigua Chicken Bus

This photo of the cathedral was taken from the government building. You can get up on the second floor to get a nice view of the main plaza:

The Cathedral, Antigua Guatemala

And, a view of the main plaza and cathedral from the street:

The Cathedral, Antigua Guatemala

The Iglesia San Francisco was built around 1579. It’s a massive church that was heavily damaged in earthquakes. Some of the church has been restored, and it is now open for service. The restoration has been done in the last fifty years or so, click here for some before and after photos of the church.