Central America – Costa Rica and Antigua, Guatemala

February 3-5, 2024

Originally, the itinerary called for a visit Manta in Ecuador, but with the recent unrest, we bypassed the country and continued on to Puntarenas, Costa Rica. 

En route, I took advantage of the sea day and participated in a wine tasting on board celebrating women in the wine industry (a good excuse for day drinking). 

The industrial town of Puntarenas does not embrace tourism, so we took a tour arranged by friends Anish and Reshika. The day started with a trip to a park with white faced capuchin monkeys.

I stopped being a fan of monkeys several years ago when one stole my glasses, but these were well behaved (no theft of glasses, hats, etc). The agile simians jumped from person to person – posing for treats. 

We continued to the crocodile bridge where we enjoyed an amazing view of a river you couldn’t pay me to cross on my own. 

Though we did get a closer look on a river boat tour,

where one of the crocs is a reported 18 feet long (he stayed in hiding). We witnessed two young ones fighting over territory. Along with crocodiles, the river provides habitats for several species of birds, including the Tiger Heron (that eats baby crocs)

and some spoonbills. Afterwards, we stopped briefly at a black sand beach where Wood Storks, Pelicans and gulls waited for a free meal provided by local fisherman cleaning their catch. 

We enjoyed a local lunch of rice, beans and your choice of protein (I went with fish – which was mahi mahi), then finished the tour with a drive up to a restaurant where we imbibed in a beer with a view. 

A sea day for our backs to recover from riding over bumpy roads, then took a tour in Guatemala to the historic city of Antigua (about 90 minutes or so from Puerto Quetzal). 

John had visited Antigua in the early 1990’s as a place for immersion Spanish – and is still known for education and Spanish language classes for foreigners. It developed a bit of a “party city” reputation in the early 2000’s, but that has died down since COVID. Driving to the city from Puerto Quetzal takes you past a recently active volcano – June 2018 the Volcan del Fuego erupted, you can see the evidence of the large lava flows (near recently constructed retirement villages. Make a note if planning to become an expat – double check on volcano activity before purchasing a home). The day was clear enough for us to get a good view of the mountain top. 

Antigua was the third capital of Guatemala – the first, founded in 1524 – Ciudad to Santiago – was on a sacred Mayan site and the local Kaqchikel population did not appreciate the newcomers. After multiple uprisings, the city moved to Ciudad Vieja in 1527. Vieja was destroyed by a volcano in 1541. In March 1543, the new capital – Santiago de los Caballeros (now Antigua Guatemala) was founded and remained the capital until an earthquake devastated the city in 1773 (the third such cataclysm in less than 100 years). The city flourished in its time, with the building of Baroque architecture highlighting the wealth of the area. All major Catholic orders had a church or cathedral in the city. In 1979, Antigua earned a UNESCO World Heritage designation. 

The most iconic structure – the bridge over the main street, was constructed by a cloistered convent when they expanded to both sides of the street and the nuns needed to cross but remained cloistered. Today, a lovely hotel and restaurant fill the side of the original convent and shops on the other. 

For lunch, the guide chose a restaurant with a more typically American menu. It was good, but not local fare. 

Local Guatemalan crafts are available throughout the city – and weavers are commonly seen through the town (none of my surreptitious photos turned out well). Since space is a premium – I did not purchase any of the lovely blankets or bags. 

Next stop – the Western coast of Mexico!

History lesson:

The name “Guatemala” is a derivation of a term that means “Place of many trees”, and most foreigners mispronounce it – the emphasis should be on the third syllable, not the first (gwa-ta-MAH-la). 

Obsidian arrowheads indicate the earliest habitation was about 18,000 BC, and the region was the main hub of the Mayan civilization beginning around 2500 BC. They ruled the area, building temples and leaving written records before disappearing to history around 900 AD (the current most popular theory is that the fall was due to a prolonged drought leading to mass starvation and migration). This portion of Central America preserved some aspects of Mayan religion and culture in several tribes. The Spanish first arrived in 1519, developing cities and sending Governors and Missionaries to enslave the locals and convert them to Christianity. 

Guatemala gained independence originally in 1821 as part of a unified country with the rest of Central America, but this fell apart by 1825. Like a lot of South America, a series of dictators, many supported by the US, controlled the small country, robbing it of much of its natural resources. A series of revolutions followed by coups disrupted the country’s development. The most recent dictatorship ended in 2000, with a stable democratically led government since that time, although issues with gang violence, drug and human trafficking continue to keep the country from developing its full potential.