Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Antigua, Guatemala

philmarion · 24 Apr 2016

I finally realized my long desired trip to witness Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Antigua, Guatemala.
At the foot of three volcanoes, Antigua served as the capital of the [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Guatemala']Kingdom of Guatemala and is[/URL] famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque-influenced architecture as well as a number of ruins of colonial churches.

Agua volcano looming over Antigua, Guatemala by Phil Marion, on Flickr

Procession with burning incense at dawn - Semana Santa in Antigua,Guatemala by Phil Marion, on Flickr

Semana Santa ” Easter Week” in Antigua Guatemala is an event worthy of seeing; it is a grandiose hommage to Jesus that is reflected in the ‘procesiones‘ (processions) with images made artistically by Guatemalan artisans. It is also part of this tradition, the creation of the beautiful carpets (Alfombras) made with flowers of all kind and colored sawdust that adorn the different streets of Antigua Guatemala, all this it is a work of art.

Cargadoras struggle with the Virgin Mary anda on the steps of San José Catedral - Antigua, Guatemala by Phil Marion, on Flickr

ANDA – An enormous hand-crafted wooden float which weighs up to 8,000 pounds and is carried by up to 100 people. Dozens of andas are paraded around town during Semana Santa and each carries a different tableau on top depicting a scene from the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. These scenes are changed every year, but their meaning remains the same. Some of the andas are antiques and some are new. Each church has their own own anda of varying sizes and the main characters from the andas (Jesus, etc) spend the rest of the year in niches in their home churches. The andas are lit during night processions when people push generators along the procession route behind the floats.

Cucuruchos in purple - Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala by Phil Marion, on Flickr

Cargadoras - Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala by Phil Marion, on Flickr

CUCURUCHOS and CARGADORAS – These are the men and women, respectively, who carry the andas. Each pays about 30 quetzales (roughly US$4) to their church for the privilege. Children, who carry smaller andas in their own special processions, pay less. Only women carry andas with the Virgin Mary on them and these can weigh up to 3,000 pounds. During each processions, these enormous andas are carefully choreographed along specific routes through city streets, around tight corners and over an obstacle course of cobblestones and flower-and-vegetable-strewn alfombras.

Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala by Phil Marion, on Flickr

Procession about to walk over an alfombra - Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala by Phil Marion, on Flickr

ALFOMBRA – This is the Spanish word for “carpet” and that’s exacty what these temporary pieces of street art are meant to be–fancy carpets which pave the way for the andas in each procession. People spend as much as they can on alfombra ingredients which include flowers, luridly dyed wood shavings and sawdust, fruits and vegetables even glitter and tiny Noah’s Arcs. Some are hand-made and, thus, imperfect. Others are created meticulously using stencil cut outs and exact measurements. We found ones to love in all styles. Alfombras are typically created by an entire extended family on the cobblestone street in front of their home but local businesses create alfombras too.

Making an alfombra in front of their home - Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala by Phil Marion, on Flickr

Plenty more photos of Semana Santa can be viewed by clicking HERE