I arrived in Antigua at around 7:30AM after a 9 hour bus ride.  The city was only just starting to come alive, but most of the storefronts were still closed.  I had a hostel in mind where I wanted to stay, but I had no idea where it was.  I had a map, but my lack of sleep, lack of spanish, and a severe lack of street signs in this town meant that I would wander for a good hour with my backpack before I found the place.  On the bright side, I got a very good lay of the land, which I always like to do anyhow.  I instantly knew this was unlike any other place I had ever been.

Antigua used to be called Santiago de los Caballeros and was once the capital of Guatemala. However, in 1773 an earthquake decimated the town and it was ordered to be abandoned.  Thereafter it was referred to as Antigua, or Ancient, Guatemala.  The effects of the earthquake are still apparent all over the city.  It is hard to go more that a couple blocks without seeing the ancient remains of what once was.  I find it extraordinarily refreshing that they chose neither to demolish, nor try to rebuild many of the ruins. They accept the broken as it, and as it always will be. Instead, they embrace their scars and highlight them by surrounding them with vibrant new structures. The same could be said of people. We all have scars. We are all broken in some way, but we stay standing and are improved by the people and the activities we surround ourselves with.

Tomorrow I will depart Antigua for San Pedro la Laguna, where I will take 3 weeks of spanish lessons and live with a Guatemalan family. I am excited for this next adventure, but I will always hold Antigua close to my heart, and plan to return again in the near future.