Antigua Houses

La couleur et la beauté des maisons d´Antigua est sans doute l´élément qui apporte le plus de magie a la ville guatémaltèque. Elles ont été peintes de plusieurs couleurs des l´époque coloniale, auparavant elles étaient blanchies a la chaux, mais très vite, elles se parent de jaune, d´ocre, de rouge, de bordeaux, transformant la ville en œuvre d´art. Aujourd´hui encore, les habitants de la ville prennent une grande fierté a peindre leur maison et a préserver leur unique style colonial. Ils n´ont d´ailleurs pas trop le choix en réalité, la mairie de la ville, inscrite au patrimoine mondial de l´UNESCO, a des critères très stricts quand aux restaurations et rénovations de maisons, qui doivent se faire dans le plus pur style antigueño. Si l´on désire modifier quoi que ce soit a sa maison, il faut un permis, et l´assurance que les travaux respecteront le style de la ville. Il est également interdit d´avoir plus d´un étage, et ceux qui ont tenté de passer a travers la loi s´en sont mordu les doigts quand leur étage a été démoli. Les seules maisons qui échappent a la règle sont celles d´avant la loi, comme la maison bleue du sky café, qui du coup accueille des dizaines de visiteurs tous les soirs pour son superbe coucher de soleil panoramique sur les volcans.

The color and beauty of Antigua houses is probably the element that brings the most magic Guatemalan town. They were painted in different colors of the colonial era, before they were whitewashed, but soon, they are adorned with yellow ocher, red, burgundy, turning the city into art. Today, the locals take great pride to paint their house and preserve its unique colonial style. They were also not much choice really, the mayor of the city, declared World Heritage by UNESCO, has very strict criteria when restorations and renovations of houses, which must be in the purest antigueno style. If you want to change anything in his house, a permit is required, and the assurance that the work will respect the style of the city. It is also forbidden to have more than one floor, and those who tried to pass through the law are bitten fingers when their floor was demolished. The only houses that had escaped the rule are those before the law, as the blue sky coffee house, which suddenly receives dozens of visitors every night for its superb panoramic sunset sun on the volcanoes.

Quizás el elemento que aporte más magia a la ciudad de Antigua sea el colorido y la belleza de sus casas. Éstas han sido pintadas de distintos colores desde el periodo colonial y aún ahora mantienen esta tradición. Gracias a un estricto programa gubernamental, la estructura de las casas coloniales ha de conservarse en todo el centro de Antigua. Así, podemos ver una homogeneidad en toda la zona que hace que podamos volver al siglo XVIII, justo antes de que los terremotos dejaran la ciudad en ruinas. La belleza de la época se ha mantenido intacta pero sin dejar de lado la modernidad. Estas casas, antaño de colonos y religiosos, ahora albergan restaurantes internacionales, salas de exposiciones, hoteles, tiendas de artesanías, escuelas de idiomas...y algún otro privilegiado que vive en una de estas casas en las que pareciera que el tiempo se hubiera parado.

Perhaps the element that provides more magic to the city of Antigua is the color and beauty of their homes. These have been painted in different colors from the colonial period and even now maintain this tradition. Thanks to strict government program, the structure is to be preserved colonial houses around the center of Antigua. Thus, we see a whole area homogeneity that makes us go back to the eighteenth century, just before the earthquake left the city in ruins. The beauty of the era has remained intact but without leaving modernity. These homes, settlers and religious past, now house international restaurants, showrooms, hotels, craft shops, language schools ... and some other privileged lives in one of those houses where it seems that the time had stopped.

Hermosas y con gran color excelente para una sesión fotográfica.

beautiful and with great color excellent for a photo session

Me encanta.

I love it