Antigua is a beautiful old city and former capital of Guatemala, surrounded by three towering volcanoes over 12,000' high, Agua, Fuego & Acatenango.
Cobblestone streets make for a bumpy ride throughout the city grid, which is peppered with churches and ruins of church structures.
Every street contains a picturesque scene, but the most recognizable has to be the Santa Catalina arch with the Pacaya volcano (~8300 ft) in the background.
To appreciate all of this beauty, the city is now geared towards tourism and is a restaurant and retail paradise.
There are two large markets and artistic boutiques where deals can be made on colorful woven fabrics and other trinkets.
The competition for your business is strong amongst the vendors.
There are also impressive jade stores that allow you to observe how they carve and smooth the dense rocks into jewelry.
Over a spectrum of 17 colors of jade from light green to black, prices reflect that they are proud of their unique, lavender jade.
Typical Antigua scenery:
City street
A church and volcano in every view
Cocktail hour in Antigua:
Brrrr... it's cold here!
Dining in Antigua:
Lunch in the park
Guatemalan fare
Antigua Locals:
After school treat
Strawberry vendors
Horse cart ride
Comedor