Traditions of Antigua Guatemala
A colonial town beneath volcanoes, famed for Holy Week alfombras of coloured sawdust and flowers.
Antigua Guatemala was the capital of the colonial kingdom until earthquakes in 1773, and its ruined churches and cobbled lanes are a World Heritage site. Holy Week here is among the most celebrated in the Americas, with processions on shoulders over carpets of coloured sawdust, flowers and pine needles.
Alfombras and processions
Families and neighbourhoods spend the night laying alfombras, carpets of dyed sawdust, in patterns of crosses, birds and Maya symbols, on streets that the procession will cross. The huge floats, anda, carried by hundreds of bearers in purple robes, are slowly walked over them, destroying them. Incense and funeral march music fill the air.
At the table
During Lent, Guatemalans eat fish, dried and salted, and sweet dishes such as torrejas and dulce de leche. Pepián, a meat stew with seeds and chiles, and tamales, steamed in leaves, are typical. Chocolate and coffee grow in the area. Fruit is eaten with lime and chile.
Signature traditions of Antigua Guatemala
Also part of it, and being written: Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala (The processions.), Pepián (The stew.), Tamale (The tamales.).
A trail idea for Antigua Guatemala
- Arco de Santa Catalina See the arch.
- Mercado See the traditional market.
- La Merced Church See the baroque facade.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sawdust carpet: Rosalba Muñoz RomeroLia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source