The past few days in Antigua have been incredible to say the least! Between classes, visiting religious sites and museums, wandering around the city, and getting to know our homestay family, I am eager to document all of the things I have learned so far. As we prepare in the next couple of days to head to Lake Atitlán I thought it was important to reflect on the experiences we have had in preparation for the slew of ones to come.
Throughout our classes and site visits, I have worked to think about the built and natural environment that we are occupying in Antigua and the centuries of history they hold embedded within them. Our homebase of Casa Herrera is a strong example of how a space is molded by time and history and can transform its uses by the people that pass through them. The house itself has seen centuries of people pass through since 1680.
Pictured above is Casa Herrera from the rooftop view at night!
It is just one of the examples of how spaces in Antigua have undergone and will continue to undergo changes by the social and political climate taking place outside of the confines of their walls and by the people who shape the space into what it is.
Another example of spaces holding multiple purposes in an evolving Antigua are the ruins of the Jesuit Church in Antigua that eventually became a market in the 1700s after the Jesuits were expelled by the pope from the city. One of the only remaining plazas attached to a church, Dr. Runggaldier explained this was a meeting spot for Maya communities that were able to convene despite the restrictions enforced by the church.
Above is an image of the market prices printed on the ruins of the church!
It is a testament to the way communities are both molded by and mold the spaces they interact with, a concept also found in the altar below the ruins of the San José Cathedral.
Thank you Gabe for this incredible picture of the altar!
Here what at one point was a white plaster altar is now covered in soot from the many rituals carried out by Maya communities, it tells the story of the different people who have inhabited the area. The same church that formative conquistadors attended service in the early colonial years of Antigua was transformed into a meeting point for Maya religious ceremonies, a transculturation thoroughly occurred within this church.
Overall, rethinking space in Antigua has served as a really eye-opening lens in which to connect with the places and spaces we visit, live in, and study. I am excited for all of the other spaces we will visit and to keep considering the centuries of people who have shaped them as well as the many generations to come!