Museums of Antigua

Ayuntamiento (City Hall), on the north side of the Plaza Mayor, is home to the Museo de Santiago. Built in 1743, this chunky two-story building has fat pillars along its long arcade. It was one of the few buildings to survive the 1773 earthquake. It still houses government offices with the Mayor's chamber upstairs.

The museum is on the ground floor in what used to be the city jail. It still feels like a prison, dark and a little spooky. Much of what is on display are artifacts of war. There is a whole room of canons. Sabers, swords, spears and rifles line many walls. Scattered around are busts, banners, and coats of arm of conquistadors. Towards the back of the museum is a display of native weapons.

Found among the war paraphernalia are everyday items of colonial life. There are ceramics and plenty of furniture, some of it beautiful. In the bright courtyard is one of the original sirens from the famed fountain in the plaza. One of the more popular displays is the torture room with an assortment of pain inducing items. We somehow missed this room. If you also cannot find it, be sure to ask, as it was highly recommended to us, unfortunately, after our visit.

While we were there, we found no one to give us additional information on pieces that caught our attention. The few posted descriptions were vague, although they were in Spanish, Italian, English, French, German and Japanese I believe.

I found the building more interesting than the displays, with its curved ceilings and archways, its incredibly thick walls and its small interior windows. El Museo de Santiago is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am until noon. Admission is 10Q (USD$1.25).

Although not a must-see museum, it was a pleasant place to spend an hour. Just outside the door, along the arcade, are benches with a beautiful view of the lush plaza and the volcano looming above it.

On the north side of the Plaza Pricipal, in the Ayuntamiento (city hall) building, is the Museo del Libro Antiguo, the Old Book Museum. We didn't know whether to go in, as looking through glass at books doesn't hold great interest for either of us. We sat on a bench, next to the entrance, and took in the beautiful view of the volcano towering over the plaza and watched people amble along the arcade, wandering between the thick columns.

I glanced back at the door of the museum. A smiling face peeked out and beckoned us closer. The virtues of the museum were described to us so enthusiastically that we had no choice but to enter. I figured I would enjoy the building if not the displays, and looking at books might do some good for my lazy brain. We handed over our 10Q (US$1.25) each and attentively listened to more about the place, recited by the smiling lady with just as much excitement as before.

The small museum is housed in the rooms where the first print shop in Central America was located. Glass cases along the walls display books and documents, including various old bibles, a book of Gregorian chants, a 17th century copy of Don Quixote, a dictionary of Guatemala's indigenous languages and the first book to be printed in Guatemala. The room's centerpiece is a reproduction of the first printing press in Central America.

Posted in various areas is the history of printing in Latin America and information about the museum. The museum was founded in 1956 by the Institute of Anthropology and History. Guatemala, in 1660, had the third printing press in Latin America, following Mexico in 1539 and Peru in 1584. Jose de Pineda Ibarra printed the first book in Guatemala in 1663. A fascinating copy of an old map of Antigua showing where print shops were located is also hanging on the wall.

The Old Book Museum is in the same complex as the Museum of Santiago and I was expecting the same architecture but it seemed quite different, not as heavy. I enjoyed it nonetheless and found the wood beam and tile ceiling quite interesting. There is also a pleasant little courtyard with a very small garden and even smaller fountain. It was Christmas time and a cute little nativity scene was set up here. The sun was shining so I sat a moment. The warmth felt wonderful. It was peaceful and quiet, I guess as a book museum should be.

On our way out of the museum, we stopped to thank the smiling lady for her wonderful lecture but could not find her. As it turns out, she wasn't an employee, just an enthusiastic visitor. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to noon and again from 2pm to 4pm.

Having toured ruins most of the day, with many more to go, a museum/store sounded like a nice break and Casa del Tejido Antigua was easy access, situated between San Jeròmino and La Recolecciòn. A friendly man took our 5Q (US$.60) admission (donation) and gave us a quick rundown of what we would see.

Casa del Tejido Antiguo means house of the ancient weavings and this museum is dedicated to textiles of Guatemala. Since long before the Spanish conquest, the people of Guatemala wore clothing specific to their community. Even though styles, patterns, and materials have changed some, this is still the case, especially among women. This museum shows (outfits) from many towns. They are displayed on mannequins, often times the whole family, and well signed with what town the traje came from, when it was made, and what details to look for to differentiate it from other towns' clothing. The women's huipiles (blouses) are usually the easiest way to distinguish regional differences and sometimes even indicate the woman's marital status and position in the community. They are usually embroidered beautifully and can take months to make. Depending on the town, they are embroidered with geometric, floral or animal patterns, sometimes only around the collar but often times the whole thing. The corte (wrap around skirt) can also be an indicator of region although this is less common now. Other articles of clothing, like the faja (sash), perraje (shawl), and tzute (mullti-purpose scarf) occasionally denote location. Men's outfits are also on display although are rarely worn in present day.

After seeing the trajes, we headed over to watch the weaving display where a woman in a traditional huipil was using a small loom. She answered a few questions and told us where she was from. We should have been able to tell by her clothing but our recently acquired knowledge had already turned into a blur of bright colors and pretty patterns.

The store section was our next stop. Although small, it had an incredible assortment of huipiles, woven material and cortes. All the other accessories were available too. Prices ranged from expensive, for the high quality, heavily woven pieces to inexpensive for scarves and such. It looked to us, although we know very little, to be quality goods. We spent a long time perusing with no pressure from the employees to buy. We eventually left, with our newly purchased treasures, to see more ruins.

La Casa del Tejido Antiguo is open Monday through Saturday from 9:15 to 5:15. To get here from the plaza walk north along Av 5 for three blocks; you will dead end at La Merced church; turn left on C1; go three and a half blocks; the museum is on the left.

Casa Popenoe is a beautifully restored colonial home. It was built in 1632 and severely damaged during the many earthquakes. It was lovingly restored countless years later by Dr. Wilson Popenoe whose family still lives here. To tour this house is to step back in time, making it easy to imagine how the wealthy of the colonial era lived.

Many rooms are open to the public and for the most part are decorated in authentic period furnishings. I particularly liked an old chest sitting under a huge painting of Pedro de Alvarado, Guatemala's conquistador. As usual, I found the building more interesting than the contents. The floors are covered in terracotta tile, hand-hewn beams support the ceiling, and like so many buildings in town, the walls are about two feet thick. There are some beautiful details too, in the intricate design of doorways, and shuttered and barred windows. It is a lovely house.

The various gardens are fantastic, lush and full of flowers, with plenty of reminders of the colonial era. There is an absolutely huge washbasin, similar to the community wash areas in many Guatemalan towns. If I lived here, I would be using it as a swimming pool. The original herb garden is by the kitchen, its tall walls are covered in ivy and its raised beds are full of orange, yellow and purple flowers, but no longer any herbs. In a grassy area, towards the entrance to the house, there is a pretty fountain tucked between trees and surrounded by more flowers.

A few things left me curious, but unfortunately, the woman who let us in, who had been very informative, was busy and I found no one else to ask. On a wall, in the garden, are a plate collection and a fascinating tile collection. I don't know their significance. Maybe the tiles were the original house or patio flooring. They are very pretty.

We left, sad to be going. For me, this was one of the most interesting places in Antigua. If you choose to visit plan accordingly, it is open Monday through Saturday but only from 2pm to 4pm.

Casa Popenoe is on 1 Avenida Sur between 5 Calle Oriente and 6 Calle Oriente. To get there from the main plaza head east on 5 Calle past the church, go three blocks, and turn right on 1 Avenida to get to the entrance. Admission is 10Q (US$1.25)

Just outside Antigua, near the town of Jocotenanago, is the Cultural Center La Azotea. Built on an old coffee finca (plantation) it consists of three museums, an equestrian center and a restaurant, all surrounded by lush gardens. Admission to the center is 25Q (US $3.12) and includes entrance and guided tours of all three museums.

We arrived late morning, just in time to catch the guided tour, in English, of Casa K'ojom, the Mayan music museum and of Rincon de Sàcatepèquez, the local traditional clothing museum. We dawdled too long in the gift shop afterward and missed the next coffee museum tour. El Ranchon Restaurant called to us, with its beautiful garden and its deck overlooking the equestrian center. The setting was lovely; the food was mediocre. Having killed the hour between tours, we went to the Museo del Café, sampled some rich and strong coffee, and left after thoroughly enjoying our half-day here.

Casa K'ojom has a display of musical instruments used by the Maya from pre-Columbian times to the present. There are conchs, turtle shells, gourds, flutes of different materials, maracas, musical figurines and much more. Marimbas are Guatemala's national instrument and there are a few of these on premises. There are also various shapes and sizes of stringed instruments. Our animated guide explained how these instruments were made and demonstrated how they were played. Following this is an interesting audiovisual presentation of Mayan music. The last section of the museum is the house of Maximòn, a recreation of a shrine to that famous but elusive idol. I appreciated being able to gawk and point knowing it was not a true house of worship. I would now know what to expect at a real shrine and behave appropriately.

Rincon de Sacatepèquez displays the traditional clothing of the people of this departmento (equivalent to a state). Our guide told us what community each traje (outfit) was from, pointed out the distinguishing details, and showed us what to look for in a good garment. Colorful prayer kites hang from the ceiling.

Museo del Cafe displays all aspects of coffee in Guatemala, from the history to the process. There are coffee seedlings, half-grown plants, plants with beans, dioramas of planting and harvest, comparisons to other coffee producing nations and much more. The center is built on an old finca and much of the equipment remains. Some of it still works. During the tour, we learned about harvesting, sorting beans, and roasting. We were shown every step of the process from sprouting seedlings to getting the product to market. The tour ends in the gift shop, with a sample of the dark rich coffee.

To get to Centro Cultural La Azotea head northwest out of town. We followed a "Jocotenango" bus. It is only a kilometer or two outside of Antigua. Buses to Jocotenango leave from the market. The center is well signed.