Day 5: A Day in Antigua

Hello Family and Friends!
              Tonight's blog is being belatedly written about our trip to the ancient city of Antigua on Sunday. Located in the Central Highlands of Guatemala, Antigua is made up primarily of Spanish Baroque-inspired buildings, many of which have been preserved for hundreds of years.
We arrived in Antigua early in the morning after a quick ride from Guatemala City and spent a wonderful day immersing ourselves in the local culture and history.  The day began in the beautiful cathedral where we attended mass, which was very difficult to follow, but very interesting nonetheless.  After mass, we visited a Mayan jade museum and learned a lot about the  indigenous people who first settled the area many years ago.  Next, we walked down the street to the chocolate museum where we learned about and tasted delicious chocolate.  We went to lunch at an amazing open-air restaurant and enjoyed tasty ethnic dishes.  Later, we visited the original Jesuit church which has stood for hundreds of years. Our day ended with a visit to the local market where we were given the choice to barter for various goods or continue exploring the city.
              All in all, our final culture day was well spent in Antigua.  However, we were all very eager to finally get to see the Guatemala City Dump and begin working at the nursery and the Francisco Coll School.

Gabe Scarlett and the Guatemala Team