Semana Santa in Antigua

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is one of the most interesting times to be in Antigua Guatemala. Massive processions flow through the streets as Guatemalans of all ages carry massive andas, or floats, on their shoulders, while dressed in robes or religious costumes.

I happened to find myself at the start of one of these processions as the sun fell on Holy Saturday. The procession started with black-clad men and women swinging thuribles, metal containers containing burning copal incense. This created a blanket of smoke for the procession to proceed through. This isn’t generally the sort of thing I like to photograph, but as I was standing there, I took a few quick photos. I like the way this one turned out, with the dark-clad figures walking through the hazy streets.