Following the theme of murals and street art, which I’ve written about in many cities (including our home town), we were on the lookout in Guatemala.
In early February we spent 10 days in Guatemala, mainly in Antigua and Tikal. It was our first visit there and we weren’t sure what to expect: there had been a lot of talk about crime, but we planned carefully, and actually where we were it was pretty safe.
Antigua, the old capital before Guatemala City, is a bustling city, vibrant with a lively tourist community. It’s bright and cheerful, with multi-colored buildings lining the narrow cobblestoned streets and the lovely central plaza. Local Mayan women, in gorgeous traditional dresses, wander around selling their wonderful woven goods (Guatemala is famous for its weaving). Tropical trees and flowers abound, adding to the feeling of color everywhere. Nothing drab here!
So, at first, we were surprised that we didn’t see many murals or much street art, as that is such a great vehicle for expressing part of a culture. But, as we explored more, we did find many instances, some tucked away, others more obvious. As you may know, we love murals and street art so, of course, we were delighted.
Here are some examples of the colorful art that we found—from murals both outdoors and inside, to brightly-painted tuk-tuks, to splashes of color in other places. The photos are in no particular order.
More on Guatemala coming up next!
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