Leaving Antigua

We left the colorful buildings and cobblestoned streets of Antigua to travel to a nearby coffee plantation.

On the Road

We passed this very nice park with a very large statue of a lion.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation

At the La Azotea Coffee Plantation, a map of the world areas where coffee is grown. Not really that many places and they have to supply the whole world.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation

World Coffee Production, showing that Brazil outdoes other coffee growing areas and with Vietnam outproducing Colombia.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation

What do coffee beans look like? This photo shows ripe coffee beans in their berry form.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation

Coffee beans in their parchment skin.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation

Green coffee–unroasted coffee beans.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation

And roasted coffee beans.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation

We were provided with much information about coffee––the beans, processing and roasting of them, the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee, etc. One very interesting bit of information was about civet cat processed coffee. A civet cat belongs to the mongoose family. It likes to eat coffee beans. The beans are then collected from the cat’s droppings, washed, and sold for up to $100 a pound or even for much more. The coffee is called kopi luwak and it is advertised as being the most expensive coffee. As with many money–making enterprises, kopi luwak is now produced on farms where the civets are force–fed coffee berries and live under very poor conditions.

La Azotea Coffee Plantation

A field of drying coffee.

La Azotea Museum

There were two museums at the coffee plantation. One depicted the customs and costumes of the villages around Antigua. This display shows a newly wed couple leaving the village church.

La Azotea Museum

This is a scene of a marketplace.

La Azotea Museum

And this scene shows kite flying.

La Azotea Casa K’ojom

The Casa K’ojom at La Azotea was a museum of Mayan music. The musicians in this scene are playing string instruments.

La Azotea Casa K’ojom

In this scene, the musician is playing the marimba.

La Azotea Casa K’ojom

Here is a costume worn in celebrations.

La Azotea Casa K’ojom

Artwork showing pre–Columbian Mayan musicians.

La Azotea Marimba Musicians–MOVIE

These musicians put on a show for us.

La Azotea Lunch

We ate lunch here at the La Azotea Coffee Plantation.

La Azotea Lunch

The starters: chips, guacamole, black bean dip, and radish salad.

I have put my photos of the La Azotea Coffee Plantation on two slideshows:

Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/antigua–la–azotea–coffee–plantation–1/

and

http://www.peggysphotos.com/antigua–la–azotel–coffee–plantation–2/

(Slide Shows, Central America, Guatemala, “Antigua, La Azoted Coffee Plantation–1 and –2”).

Mayan Musicians-1: MOVIE

After lunch at the coffee plantation, we were entertained by Mayan musicians. In this movie, they are playing as they are coming into where they will perform.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/54vBDADmk0M

Mayan Musicians-2: MOVIE

In this movie, the Mayan musicians are playing many bird calls.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/yIel_EbnEA8

Mayan Musicians-3: MOVIE

More of the Mayan musicians.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/A0–BYwvstrY

Pan American Highway

We are now on the Pan American Highway going to Lake Atitlan, which actually starts in Canada (unofficial), runs through the United States (official), then Mexico, Guatemala, through the rest of Central America and to Colombia in South America all the way down to Chile and Argentina with spurs to four more South American countries. However, there is a gap of 60 miles (100 km) in the Panama jungle, called the Darien Gap, so the highway starts again in Colombia. The Pan American Highway is the world’s longest “motorable road,” measuring about 19,000 miles (about 30,000 kilometers).

Pan American Highway

On the Pan American Highway, a church below the road.

Pan American Highway

A church in a field of dry corn stalks.

Pan American Highway

A very large church with stained–glass windows. We weren’t seeing Evangelical churches along the road as we had been seeing in other areas.

Guatemalan Cemetery

We drove very fast past the colorful Guatemalan cemeteries. A good site to look at to see more of the cemetery tombs is

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/02/the–colorful–cemeteries–of–guatemala.html

The tombs are leased, but if a family misses a lease payment, bones are removed from the tombs and placed in a mass grave. Families paint and clean the graves of their loved ones on the Day of the Dead. Virginia, our tour director, told us that different religions use different colors: white and yellow by Catholics and blue and green by the Mayans. Colors also are symbolic: white is for purity, turquoise for protection, and yellow for the sun’s life force. Other colors used may be the favorite color of the deceased.

Lake Atitlan

We have arrived at Lake Atitlan, where we would spend two nights. I have put my photos of our drive from the coffee plantation to Lake Atitlan on a slideshow. Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/antigua–to–lake–atitlan/

(Slide Shows, Central America, Guatemala, “Antigua to Lake Atitlan”).