His grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, visited Guatemala and received a warm welcome at St Alban Episcopal Mission in Antigua on June 2, 2024. As part of an interactive activity, he was accompanied by distinguished guests including his wife, Caroline Welby, and the Rt. Reverend Daniel Gutierrez, Bishop of Pennsylvania. Everyone LOVED Antigua!

It was truly an honor to tour the archbishop’s group in Antigua. We focused on the history of the founding of Santiago de Guatemala and how the city evolved over the centuries, at City Hall. We noted that the conquest of Guatemala in 1524 created difficulties for the local Maya population and how we continue to learn more through on-going research. Everyone enjoyed the Fountain of the Sirens on our way to the Royal Palace. There we focused on the area, known in colonial times as the Kingdom of Guatemala, which included what is now southern Mexico to Costa Rica, and how difficult it was to get back and forth to Spain in those days. A highlight of the tour was San Jose Catedral – a Catholic parish that was celebrating Corpus Christi on that day. The 1650 sculptures of Jesus were admired by everyone, indeed. We then visited the ruins of the Cathedral. Damaged by the earthquakes of 1773 and abandoned when the capital was moved to Guatemala City, the Archbishop was amazed that the ruins from 1680 had survived the centuries!

Archbishop Welby showed great interest in the country and its diversity and noted that people in the United Kingdom know little about Guatemala in general. Questions included why the city was abandoned in 1773 and how it came to life over the centuries with the name of Antigua Guatemala. More recently, efforts through tourism have been community focused to provide much needed jobs with local poverty levels decreasing and the educational level of Antigua increasing.

On a personal note, I may humbly add that after touring visitors to Antigua since 1992, this visit was particularly moving for me in many ways. The archbishop is remarkable, and the group showed tremendous interest in our remarkable city!

Photos by Adrián del Pozo.