La Recolección

Lately, I've stopped being a tourist. It seems like I've been caught up in an unending cycle of work, school, and Spanish classes that occupy the vast majority of my time. And whenever we have a vacation, we instantly leave town to travel and explore other areas of Central America.

This week, the vast most of my students are on break and with more free time, we've decided to spend the week exploring Antigua in earnest.

We began at La Recolección, the ruins of a former convent and monastery. Construction began in the early 1700's, but the structure was reduced to rubble by the 1773 earthquakes. I love Antigua's ruins...shells of old churches lie scattered all over the city. Yet this was the first time we were able to venture inside of one.  It was incredibly peaceful and we were mostly alone except for the occasional teenage couple making out in a dark corner. Amazing to wander around the beautifully landscaped grounds and imagine what the buildings had looked like in their heyday. It was really peaceful and I got to do one thing I've truly been missing here in Guatemala...lie in the grass!