The Holiest of Weeks - Easter in Antigua Guatemala 2019

Beacons of Light and Faith. The Processions of Antigua Guatemala

The end of my 9th season in Antigua comes with mixed emotions, happiness for having seen and experienced this show of faith on steroids, and sadness for having left behind great friends and brothers.

The welcoming arms of the “Brotherhoods of Time”; Escuela, Merced, and San Fran are my family away from home. A quick prayer and it was time take the thousands of painful steps through the streets of Antigua. Endless lines of devout souls march trough day and night carrying penitence on their shoulders. Veils of incense cover the city as our watchful eye looks for fire emanating from hundreds censers. These flames become beacons of creativity and light to paint our subjects.

Sawdust carpets crafted on cobblestone canvases become fleeting masterpieces marking the way for the ever-advancing processions. The city becomes an outdoor museum whose works of art lay on the floor; miles and miles of stone laden paths to explore and admire. A collection of every bulb and type of light bathe the streets providing endless hues for our images. How can anyone use automatic white balance or for that matter automatic “anything” in this paradise of color.

It is time to leave; Dulce’s embrace, the heartfelt goodbyes of friends and the hope of yet another remembrance of the passion of The Christ mitigate the sadness of a way to soon departure.