During Holy Week, the volcano-surrounded Antigua Guatemala becomes the epicenter of elaborate and fervent celebrations. The UNESCO World Heritage colonial town and its adjacent villages are known for their Lent and Holy Week celebrations: sawdust carpets are laid out for massive floats, carried by so-called cucuruchos—faithful Catholics in purple-and-white hooded tunics—throughout town to mark the path of the processions. It’s a vibrant time; the town is packed, and people are out on the street at all hours.
But during Holy Week this year, Antigua looked different. Since March 23, Guatemala has been on a strict 4 p.m. curfew in order to control the spread of COVID-19; the government canceled all Holy Week celebrations as a preventive measure.
Nevertheless, I imagined the faithful would still attempt to find ways to commemorate the holiday—and that’s what I found when I went into town; the adjacent towns of Ciudad Vieja and Jocotenango, where most of the workforce for Antigua lives; and the nearby municipalities of Santa María de Jesús and Alotenango, both of which have majority populations of indigenous Kaqchikel Mayan residents.
I found two young men, Mario Ortiz and Nelson Coroy, arranging bouquets of flowers outside Santa María de Jesús Catholic Church. The celebrations might have been canceled, but local leaders permitted their youth group to make the traditional carpet, so, along with half a dozen other local youth, Ortiz and Coroy were creating their intricate, traditional decoration at the entrance to the church.
In Jocotenango, I met another brotherhood completing their own ephemeral sawdust art. But this time police officers arrived and asked them to destroy it, because it could potentially attract a crowd—which would defy the social distancing mandated by the Guatemalan government.
Business owners who usually depend on the Holy Week spectacles in order to make a living are also trying to adapt to the changes. Cesar Toledo and Elvia de Toledo, who have owned a tailoring business in Jocotenango since 1992, specialize in making the processional tunics for cucuruchos. Instead of their regular trade, this year they are focusing on sewing and selling face masks—though they are barely making a living. Still, some things stay the same. Every year during Holy Week, they create a small altar in front of their shop. On Holy Wednesday, when I visited, the altar was purple and decorated with beautiful flowers.
As the week ended, I was permitted to witness the Easter Sunday mass at Ciudad Vieja Cathedral. The ceremony had been thoroughly adapted for our new reality: The cathedral was empty, except for six or seven other people (who must also have received special permission to attend), the priests’ assistants wore face covers, and the service was streaming live on Facebook for congregants to see. Outside, a few dozen people had gathered to shoot fireworks before, during, and after the mass—a common way to add an exclamation point to services. Inside, the priests tried to give a message of hope, despite the uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought to our lives.
Most will remember this year’s Holy Week for its lack of celebrations. But I was moved—by the resilience of the Toledo family, who had kept up their traditions, setting up an altar even though almost no one would see it; or the youth group that spent nearly $100 (a substantial amount in a country where roughly half the population lives on $2 a day or less) on materials for their meticulously made sawdust carpet. The strength of the human spirit, something I have seen constantly during my 16 years living in Guatemala, persisted.
Staying at home is affecting us in many ways—financially, physically, emotionally—yet when I have had to step outside, people go out of their way to greet me. This may just be a personal perception, or even something I want to see, but I have felt a strong sense of collective amiability when I’m outside, even more than usual. I have seen many other signs of solidarity—like food being distributed to the elderly, homeless, and street vendors. I hope this continues after we manage to overcome COVID-19, whenever that may be.
