Las Iglesias y Las Catedrales

After a long week of Spanish school, and after waking up late on Saturday after attempting (and failing) to keep up with the Guatemalan night life that ends around 4 or 5 am on average, I decided to spend my day by embarking on a self-conducted tour of either the famous or the ancient churches and cathedrals in Antigua. While the plan sounded like a good one and seemed simple enough, I quickly learned that the map I was using didn´t match the streets, and that none of the streets in Antigua are even marked at all. So after giving up and merely wandering around aimlessly I have only a few photos...

La Iglesia Y Convento de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (or simply La Merced) is one of the prettiest in the city and is the most intact. The bright yellow color can be seen from a great distance and the entire church and convent looks like a skilled cake decorator worked his magic across the front entrance.
La Catedral de Santiago towers over the Central Park of Antigua, and at night the saints are so brightly lit that it invokes a sense that yes, perhaps God really is watching your every move. The Cathedral was first built in 1545 but was poorly constructed and the roof crumbled only years later in 1583. After 11 years and after the work iof many indiginous mayans, a new, larger cathedral was constructed. The church was decorated (apparently) with artwork created by European and colonial artists and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, silver, and ivory. However, the infamous earthquake of 1773 pulled this down with it leaving intense ruins of piled rock and only a couple arches to give the idea of the massive structure that once stood. Because of UNESCO, the ruins must be left untouched. However a fully functioning cathedral was erected in front which is the one you see below.

The only other church I have any information on is La Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara (the church is now merely ruins behind the yellow arches). The church was similarly destroyed in the 1773 earthquake and is now heavily barred and locked with no entrance permitted. But in front of the church are the bright yellowed arches that were used at one time by the local women to do laundry. Under each arch is a concrete wash basins known as pilas, and a great pool of clear water sparkles in front of the basins.