Steve & Inggy's World: Our trip to Guatemala!!

It is Hispanic Heritage month, a perfect time to talk about our trip to Guatemala! Hispanic Heritage month is from Sept 15th to Oct 15th in the United States. It recognizes the contributions of "Latinos" in the United States and it celebrates heritage and culture. While I think this is great, I also wish more people were aware that each country is so rich in heritage and culture with its own unique history.

I have been very fortunate to be exposed to many of those cultures and heritages. I consider myself very fortunate to have learned and continue to learn about them. This August I had the opportunity to share some of my own heritage with my husband. My family is Guatemalan. Guatemala is a country in Central America that is bordered by Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras. Many people are of mixed backgrounds because of the rich Mayan culture and the colonization by Spain.

On our way to Guatemala!

I don't think Steve knew what to expect but he was definitely pleasantly surprised. The pace of life is slower and there is a strong emphasis on family. Mostly everyone is kind and welcoming. Did I mention that Guatemalan food is absolutely delicious!

The first thing we did one we arrived was visit the Basilica of Esquipulas. A little history about the Basilica.It is where the statue of the Black Christ was comissioned by Spanish conquistadors.It was carved in 1594 by Quirio Cataño in Antigua and installed in the church in 1595. In 1603, a miracle had already been attributed to the the Black Christ, and it attracted increasing numbers of pilgrims over the years.The history of the Basilica begins in 1735, when a priest named Father Pedro Pardo de Figueroa experienced a miraculous cure after praying before the statue. When he became Archbishop of Guatemala, he commissioned a beautiful basilica to properly shelter the beloved statue. The church was completed in 1759. We deeply believe in this place and it was so amazing to share this experience with Steve.

Our second stop was Antigua, Guatemala. It is one of the oldest cities and still retains most of its Spanish inspired architecture. A lot of the architecture can date back to the 1500's. Antigua is also known to have some of the best coffee in the world.

After all of this traveling it was time to relax. We drove to my aunts beach house. About 1hr 1/2 away from Guatemala City where most of my family lives. We spent time with the family, had a bbq, lounged around on hammocks. We also took a ride on the 4-wheeler. It was a lot of fun and one of our favorite moments of the trip.

One of our last adventures was attending my cousins wedding. I love weddings and we were very fortunate to have been able to travel from Hawaii to Guatemala to witness their union.