Antigua: Ain't it all a bloomin' shame?

More learned writers like to grace their work with quotes from Shakespeare and the classics.  The best I can do, is reach back in my fading memory to an old rugby song, which our time in Antigua brought to mind:

Twas on the bridge at midnight....

It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Ain't it all a bloomin' shame?

Antigua, Guatemala is a UNESCO world heritage site founded by the Spanish in the 16th century.  The colonial architecture frames the nearby volcanoes:

The city is breathtakingly beautiful.  So what's the problem?  Why were we in such a hurry to leave?

Simply put, Antigua is the place where desperate mistreated Mayans meet the entitled Ladino elite, while clueless tourists take pictures.

It's not just the cats that are hungry

Life's good for the Ladino Elite

"Ladino" is the label applied to the moneyed elite from Guatemala City.  The combination of affluence and fairness of skin, is not a coincidence.  

Often they are enjoying themselves in ways that seem quite mundane by Western standards.  The temptation to judge them, only arises because of the contrast with the Mayans who are bussed into the city to try and feed themselves, by peddling wares that nobody wants.

Here's a hen party we ran into.

And here's a wedding party enjoying the luxurious surroundings of the world famous Casa Santo Domingo Hotel

My own clueless Gringo moment

There was an odd atmosphere walking round Antigua late at night.  The place was well lit and heavily patrolled by armed police, so safety was not a concern.  The streets were eerily deserted except for the odd desperate peddlar.  

My own encounter was when I only just stopped myself from walking straight past a woman sitting on the ground outside a "tienda" store.  She had a basket of lollipops for sale.  She was nursing a baby.  For nutrition, she was eating one of her own lollipops.

My response to this situation?  I gave her $3.  If I had my time again, I like to think that I would give more.  But talk, as they say, is cheap.