Many years ago I traveled to Guatemala with a friend from college. We entered the country from Belize and stayed in El Remate on Lago Petén Itzá while we visited the great Mayan ruins at Tikal and El Ceibal. We then went to Rio Dulce to explore Lago Izabal, and then took a beautiful boat trip down to the Caribbean coast at Livingston. From there we made our way west, arriving at the old capital city of Antigua. Its a popular tourist destination for good reason, as it is an extraordinarily beautiful town. Many foreigners come here to study Spanish, and explore its many wonderful sites and climb the nearby volcanos.
Back then I was carrying lead lined bags of Kodachrome film and taking slides images that I could show on a projector to friends and family when I got home. I always gave a show of my winter travels to my family the day after Thanksgiving dinner, and I would hold an event to show them to friends during the Summer. I held in my memory images of magical courtyards I had seen in Antigua that influenced the kinds of gardens I would build over the years. I included a few slides of courtyards in early lectures I would give to garden clubs in the days before digital presentations.
Last year I had over 6,000 slides from my travels professionally scanned so I could see them on my laptop. Some were pretty good quality, but the ones from my Guatemala trip were grainy and out of focus. That planted the seed in my mind that I should return to Antigua to revisit this lovely city and capture new images with the Lumix LX7 cameras I've been using and wearing out over the past several years. I love photography and take a lot of pictures.
In mid January, after six weeks of travel from Guadalajara to Mexico City, I flew to Guatemala City, where I had rented a sweet little cottage in a walled garden in the heart of town. A good friend joined me for the week and split the cost so he could take a Spanish course and get a taste for the way I travel each Winter. It was great to be back!
I was excited to wander the streets of Antigua again. Spanish style houses face the street with a stucco wall and a solid entrance door and grilled windows.
The center of a house will have a courtyard, often with a garden. A central fountain would have been the source of water for the household. Larger homes may have more than one courtyard. One may be refined living space and others more utilitarian, for doing laundry, keeping animals, or parking vehicles.
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| I have vivid memories of this fountain filled with a bouquet of Calla Lilies |
Many of the fine old houses have been converted in to boutique hotels and art galleries and cafes. You never know what might lie beyond the handsome doorway of an old building facade. So I made a habit of asking if I could take a peek inside, hoping to find one of the beautiful courtyards I had seen so many years before. People are so nice here, and often bored manning the desk of a hotel or quiet restaurant so they would grant us entry.
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| An old scanned slide of a courtyard fountain |
Antigua is one of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere and was the third capital of the colonial Captaincy General de Guatemala from 1543 to 1773. This governance covered much of Central America and Chiapas State in Mexico.
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| An Colonial map of the region in the 1700's |
Laid out in a square grid street pattern around a central plaza in the shadow of the active Volcan de Fuego, the city grew to have a population of 63,000 people. Many grandiose churches and monasteries were built in the Baroque style, first by the Franciscans, and then Jesuits.
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| Palacio de los Capitanes Generales with Volcan Fuego in the background |
Palaces and mansions were built for the aristocracy and noble classes giving the city an elegant appearance. The volcanic soil is rich and perfect for agriculture, and the altitude at 1,500 meters, or 5,000 feet makes for idyllic temperatures. The winter weather was so perfect when we were there, warm but not hot days and soft balmy nights.
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| The grand fountain in Parque Central |
A series of earthquakes wreaked havoc on the city. The Catholic church at that time held absolute power and considered earthquakes divine punishment for sinful activities. The devastating 1773 Terremoto de Santa Marta destroyed much of the city, at which point the capital was moved to a safer location, where present day Guatemala City lies. Many of the great churches still lie in ruins and the population of the city did not reach the level of 63,000 residents again until the 1990's.
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| Ruins of the once massive Cathedral |
Many of the ruins are open to the public and some have been incorporated in to lavish hotels such as the Casa Santo Domingo Hotel, which inhabits the old Convento de Santo Domingo.
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Gardens incorporated in to the ruins of the Convento Santo Domingo.
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| A view over part of the city from the roof of Iglesia La Merced gives a peek in to a number of courtyards. |
The walls surrounding courtyards create a microclimate and frame for gardens hidden away from the streets.
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| Mass plantings of Monstera around an old laundry basin at Convento Santo Domingo |
The mild climate and rich soils makes the perfect environment for lush plantings. The pallet of plants is not particularly diverse but foliage shapes and textures take center stage, while floral arrangements and blooming potted plants bring color in to some of the gardens.
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The beautiful pool and fountain in a small entry courtyard at the Hotel Porta
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| Flowers are grown in abundance around Antigua |
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| Floristeria shops and stalls at the Mercado Central provide access to an array of flowers. |
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| Around Christmas, millions of Poinsettias, called Cuetlaxōchitl are placed in gardens all over Guatemala and Mexico, where they are native and can grow to the size of small trees. |
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| Alstroemerias fill this three tiered cantera stone fountain in a restaurant |
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| Floral arrangements in another fountain |
The tradition of filling fountains with floral arrangements is one of the many things that makes Antigua such an alluring city. There is a high standard of beauty here that is worth aspiring to in our own gardens.
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| Potted Anthuriums provide dramatic foliage and flowers together |
I've always had fountains in my garden. The sound of water is music in nature. These fountains historically were the source of water for the household. They date back to ancient Persia and were common in Greek and Roman homes as well. People still scoop water from the pool to water plants in their courtyards.
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| A more formal rose garden with clipped boxwood hedges is softened by the vines growing on columns |
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| Many buildings have accessible roof terraces for a bird's eye view of the courtyard below. |
Smaller courtyards often have a wall fountain rather than a free standing central one. Sometimes the wall itself is designed to create a focus for the fountain, as it attracts one's attention more than most other elements in the garden.
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| One of many fountains at Hotel Santo Domingo |
The splashing water draws birds and insects in to the garden creating an interaction with nature. Pigeons, Mourning Doves, Grackles, and Sparrows are most of what you will see. The doves will coo you awake in the morning and the Grackles can mimic melodic sounds singularly. In masses gathering at night the shrieking can be utter chaos.
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| A native Scarlet Macaw, kept as a pet, is about as spectacular a bird you can find in a garden. |
This water basin originally was used as a reservoir, with a raised water rill that delivered water to the garden.
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| Rills were used to channel water for irrigation in old Spanish gardens, being both functional and beautiful. |
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| A very old fountain framed by Angels with breasts adds a titillating touch to this grand fountain in a huge courtyard at Iglesia La Merced. |
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| The towering fountain in the Plaza Principal brings it to life. |
Tile on a fountain brings another aspect of ornamentation to the garden. Tile has a strong tradition in Spain that was transported to the colonies.
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| A beautifully tiled fountain holds it's own in the center of this courtyard, even though it's not flowiing. |
Furnishing a courtyard in Antigua is also an art form. There are furniture makers, and skilled masons, and upholsterers that can fabricate beautiful seating and garden furniture.
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| This tile bench provides a cool but firm place to sit, while doubling as a work of art. |
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Benches and chairs provide places to gather on the peristyle porch, which provides shade and protection from the rain.
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| As I get older I appreciate cushions more and more. |
A well placed seat provides a space to sit and appreciate the surroundings, perhaps to read, or more likely nowadays to stare at your phone. Better to sit and have a drink.
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| A simple bench and table for coffee and reading. |
Modern courtyards stray from tradition by incorporating contemporary furnishings. This garden has a narrow swimming pool and chaises to go with it.
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| The lap pool is hidden behind Tree Ferns against a wall at this boutique hotel. |
Acapulco chairs were made famous in the well known Mexican beach resort. They are fairly comfortable and fun to look at for their colors and sculptural quality.
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| These blue Acapulco chairs match the tile paving in the courtyard. |
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| I like wire chairs with cushions as they are fairly transparent and you can see the garden through them. The cushions make them comfortable to sit on. |
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| A beautifully carved bench with a comfortable pad is protected from the elements by the peristyle. |
Since beauty is paramount in a place like Antigua, its not a surprise that the pavings are often artistic as well. Stone was the most available material in Colonial times and plentiful pebbles could be used to create mosaic designs.
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| It appears that two different stone masons with very different skill levels worked on this patio. |
Because the stone in the region is volcanic, grey is the predominant color found in stone pavements.
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| A mixture of types of stone makes for an interesting organic pavement. |
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| A wonderful view from the roof terraces of a home that is now a restaurant and hotel. |
One of the reasons I take so many photos is because I see so many things worth recording in a day. My friend would comment on how I was always spotting amazing things that he would just walk by. I'm grateful that one of the most important skills I learned studying Landscape Architecture at the University of Oregon was to be observant. When you learn plant identification you recognize the different kinds of flora and analyze the way they are arranged, sometimes skillfully and often not. Like the plants themselves there is always room to grow.
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| Rectangular paving stones spaced apart with gravel makes a nice transition path between tow paved areas. |
Tree Ferns and Agave attenuata plants are surrounded by clipped ivy.
Tile paving is used under peristyles and stone more commonly in open areas. The smooth tile is better for high heel shoes and furniture than a rough stone surface.
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| A tiled walkway at Santo Domingo. |
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| This green tile strip picks up the color of the foliage in the narrow garden bed. |
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| This contemporary garden with a minimalist design uses cut stone squares to compliment the square fountain. |
Antigua, by name is very old, and with that comes artifacts from antiquity. Pieces of collapsed buildings from the earthquakes and salvaged ornament are often repurposed into gardens here.
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| The remains of collapsed walls in the Convento Santo Domingo have been incorporated in to a fountain and pool. |
Religious wood carvings work in a setting like a hotel garden built in the ruins of a convent.
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| A wood statue of Christ, sitting on a cloud has a halo of Staghorn Ferns. |
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| A carved wood and mosaic alligator compliments the ornamental masonry work on a large fountain in a vast courtyard garden at Convento Santo Domingo. |
Traditional crafts, such as ceramics and stone carving and blacksmithing make for some very fine garden ornament. Having skillfully crafted ornaments in a garden is vastly different than the predominantly fake decor commonly found in American gardens.
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| A blacksmith shop fabricates all kinds of iron ornaments. |
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| Colibri is Spanish for Hummingbird |
Cantera is porous quarried volcanic stone that is easy to carve. It quite common in Mexican and Central American gardens, and is used for columns, basins, fountains, containers and sculpture, and paving stones.
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| A Cantera stone pot and bowl in a cafe courtyard. |
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| A carved cantera Angel in the courtyard of the Convento de Capuchines |
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| A cantera stone bench and a Mayan ceramic statue in a lushly planted courtyard. |
Antique and craft shops have incorporated some interesting finds in to their gardens. The objects for sale often end up being a permanent part of the garden.
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| A carousel becomes a garden pavilion in this fine old house's courtyard. |
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| Lots of quirky objects have ended up in this garden. |
A hollowed out log has been turned in to a planter for bromeliads and sedums in the garden at our guest house.
There is a great trend of burning candles where the wax builds up like volcanos over time, making these weird sculptural shapes that I think are pretty wonderful.
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| Candles set on the stone base supporting wooden posts form surreal mountains of wax over time. |
I'm rambling here but there are lots of interesting ways to incorporate objects in to the design of a garden that are unexpected and creative.
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A red wagon wheel is incorporated in to a wall with a view to the other side.
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| A peach colored stucco wall shows off this delicate Sirena made of wire, and the complimentary delicate form of Papyrus. |
Walls in Latin America are usually stuccoed brick and stone or adobe blocks which is made with mud and straw and sometimes bamboo. More contemporary constructions will be stuccoed concrete block. The thickness and solidity, the texture and the ways they are painted are an important part of the ambience of a courtyard. I love the patina that walls can acquire with age, as layers of paint come through. Even stains caused by moisture can be beautiful.
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| Ancient patina on a stuccoed church wall requires hundreds of years to acquire this look. |
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| A pale blue wall painted over with ochre and white wash reveals all three colors with age. |
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Ornate sculpting in an old palace courtyard reveals the way it's base of carved bricks covered in stucco.
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| This Orange Flame Vine (Pyrostegia venusta) compliments the weathered stucco on this wall. |
I saw a lot of beautiful vines in the gardens of Antigua. They climb walls and columns and make canopies of shade, and draperies with their flowers in the most wonderful ways. Jade Vines have an extraordinary color of aqua in their claw like flowers you won't see in any other flower.
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| Jade Vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys has flowers like no other. The color and form are utterly surreal. |
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| Close up of a Jade Vine Flower |
After the Jade vine, my favorite here is the Mysore Trumpet Vine. The hanging panicles can reach a meter or more in length, like necklaces with yellow and maroon flowers that attract hummingbirds.
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| Thunbergia mysorensis flowers hang like a delicate curtain along the porch of this garden. |
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| Thunbergia mysorensis, the Mysore Trumpet Vine is stunningly beautiful hanging from porch trellises. |
By far the most popular and common vine in Central America is the Bougainvillea. There are many varieties with different colors ranging from hot pink to purple, white, and salmon, orange, and gold. They become large shrubby plants that can be unruly but the sheer volume of flowers when in full bloom makes them irresistible to gardeners.
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| A Bougainvillea in the main courtyard of the Convento de los Capuchines |
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| Some cultivars of Bougainvillea are compact and can be used in pots. |
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| Another potted Bougainvillea with a golden yellow flower. |
Another vine I saw a lot of has abundant panicles of violet flowers is the Sandpaper Vine, Petrea volubilis. It gets it's name from its rough sandpaper textured leaves that are not particularly nice to touch. The beautiful flowers make up for the unpleasant foliage.
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| Petrea volubilis, the Sandpaper Vine |
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| This contemporary garden design is not my favorite but the vines draping all around the peristyle are lovely. |
Philodendrons and other vines in the Ariod family have dramatic foliage that brings a tropical look to a wall or column. I saw lots of these in the wild during my later travels in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
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| A climbing Philodendron adds dramatic texture to this garden. |
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| Monstera Philodendrons are very common but worthwhile for their huge lobed leaves. |
Areca palms are very common in gardens in Antigua, in part because they are cultivated and sold in large quantities. They do well in pots, and their smaller scale makes them useful in small courtyard gardens. Some have brilliant red sheaths on the fronds.
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| Areca palm fronds frame a tile painting of the Virgen Mary, elegantly framed in sculpted stucco. |
Crotons, with multi colored leaves are also popular.
Cultivars of native Heliconias, called Lobster claws because of the unusual shape of their flowers are quite common, but take up a lot of space.
Some Heliconias are smaller and more compact, with upright flowers. The garden at our guest house had beds with rows of Strelitzia reginae, the well known Bird of Paradise, which they grow for cut flowers.
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| Rows of Birds of Paradise at our guest house. |
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| A floral arrangement of Strelitzia in a church |
Begonias are also popular and surprisingly durable container plants seen in many gardens here. There are so many species native to Central America, sometimes growing as roadside weeds.
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| A potted Begonia, Tradescantia, and Spathephyllum in a window garden. |
Nephrolepis exalta, the well known sword fern is a tough species that spreads to form a ground cover. It does well crammed in to pots as well with a graceful habit of trailing in a lush green cascade.
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| Nephrolepis exalta ferns (on the left) can complete with the roots systems of trees, making them a good choice as a groundcover in these otherwise difficult conditions. |
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| Nephrolepis exalta ferns are kept groomed of dead fronds, creating delicate cascades of green. |
Agapanthus and Clivias are widely used as tough bedding plants for filling in underneath trees and in formal beds.
Agaves are also popular for their structural form. Agave attenuata is one of the most commonly used because it is softer and less dangerous than the stiff spiny types.
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| Agave attenuata used in masses in the gardens at Convento Santo Domingo. |
I could go on and on but I need to wrap this up. I saved my favorite courtyard garden in Antigua for last. The Hotel Primavera Eterna (Eternal Spring), has an elegant undulating cornice on its street facing wall that ends in a spiral.
I was intrigued and went in to the lobby and asked if I could see the courtyard. The man at the desk was very gracious and happily let us come in and explore unsupervised. I checked later to see what the rooms were like online and it was fully booked, but it was totally quiet. But if you go to Antigua, you might want to look in to staying here. The garden is incredible.
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| First sight of the garden at Hotel Eterna Primavera |
The garden is entirely packed with plants, immaculately groomed, mostly in pots but so densely arranged that you don't see most of the containers.
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| An old wagon cart filled with pots ornaments the diverse arrangement of plants. |
Its so packed in here that you can't walk through much of the courtyard. The red tiled porches along the sides are raised so you look down on to the plants. It's a brilliant affect.
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| Rooms have small tables and chairs for morning coffee and breakfast. |
It has the appearance of the Best Show Garden of all time at the Chelsea Flower Show. Utterly enchanting.
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| The planted cart is genius. The combination of textures is masterful. |
And there is a staircase to the roof. Unsupervised, we of course climb them, and oh wow. It was the golden hour and the view of Volcan Fuego is epic.
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| Volcan Fuego beyond the red tile roofs, magic. |
And you get a bird's eye view of this amazing little Eden. It brought tears to my eyes. Its amazing how what feels like the epitome of the Secret Garden could be contained within such a small space.
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| Looking down from the roof terrace. |
The more I looked at the garden I realized that the different levels that create layers were actually walls of once functional structures, such as washing basins for laundry and water storage.
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Old cistern basins once held water for use in the household.
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When you move over a few feet the view changes and it feels like an entirely different composition. So brilliant.
Looking back from where we came in, through a darkly shaded dining area we hardly noticed before is as enchanted a place to have your breakfast or an afternoon cocktail imaginable. Of course it is draped in Mysore Trumpet Vines. Heaven.
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