I write this article while on retreat in Antigua Guatemala. Situated some 25 kms from Guatemala’s present capital city, at an altitude of about 1,500 metres above sea level, Antigua was the capital city between 1541 and 1776 until a powerful earthquake destroyed it. It is a beautiful quaint city with streets of cobblestones, and brightly painted colonial houses. The Volcan de Agua rises majestically over Antigua Guatemala; coffee is cultivated on the sides of the 4,000-metre volcano.
After the earthquake of 1773, some churches, monasteries, and other buildings were never rebuilt and nowadays their ruins became tourist attractions. Others became places of pilgrimages, and it is not a rare scene to see people walking on their knees along the naves of such churches. Guatemalans are a very devout people and there still exists a mixture of Mayan spirituality and Roman Catholicism. Against such a backdrop of natural and man-made beauty, it is not difficult to enter a contemplative retreat mode. I spend my time just observing the ever-changing scenery from the window of my room in the Posada de Belen Retreat House or praying either in the church of La Merced or the Escuela de Cristo.
Br Carmel Duca MC
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