Editing Antigua Guatemala (section)

=== 20th-century events ===

[[File:Antiguagenthe1916 09.jpeg|thumb|Circular single cell structure in the [[Church and Convent of Capuchins|Capuchins convent]], still in good standing, as described by prince [[Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland|Wilhelm of Sweden]] in 1920.<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922>{{harvnb|Prins Wilhelm|1922}}</ref>{{rp|175–180}} Photograph by [[:Commons:Arnold Genthe photographs|Arnold Genthe]].]]

[[File:Antiguagenthe1916 14.jpeg|thumb|A poor native family living in the ruins of [[Church and Convent of Capuchins|Capuchins]], as described by prince [[Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland|Wilhelm of Sweden]] in 1920.<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|175–180}} Photograph by [[:Commons:Arnold Genthe photographs|Arnold Genthe]].]]

In April 1920, during the very last days of [[Manuel Estrada Cabrera]] regime, prince [[Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland|Wilhelm of Sweden]] visited Antigua, Guatemala and wrote about his impressions of the city in his book ''Between Two Continents''.<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|175–180}} His book is an objective description of the terrible conditions the road and the ruins used to be in: "For some little way outside Guatemala City it was a fairly decent car ride, but then the roads began developing sand drifts, and later, [[rockfall]]s of tumbled stone as two years earlier, the country had been devastated by [[1917 Guatemala earthquake|a powerful earthquake]] and government corruption made the recovery impossible".<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|176}} "The hills grew steeper and steeper, the jolting more pronounced and the stones even sharper; besides, on top of the road was a two-foot layer of dust which hid the pitfalls but did not detract from their effect".<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|176}} "Along the way, they passed long lines of Indians on their way to Guatemala City, carrying their heavy burdens with apparent ease; men, women and children carried something in the way of a load, and they all carried it quickly. With respect to traffic, it was almost non-existent, aside from mule-pulled wagons".<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|177}}

After passing Mixco, the road proceeded more steeply upward, with a precipitous drop on one side and sheer cliff rising on the other; here and there a cross stood by the wayside, marking the spot where some traveler had died. After reaching the highest point, they started down towards Antigua. The city was in sight when a person in uniform planted himself in front of the car; it turned out to be the city commandant, along with six soldiers with wooden guns.<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|178}} Compared to Guatemala City at the time, Antigua was quite nicely kept, although all the churches were equally dilapidated and left entirely to themselves, as rebuilding since 1773 was confined to the strictly necessary. For the most part, only blank walls and shattered domes remained to greet the visitor by 1920,<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|179}} and some of the churches were in pitiful conditions. In Santa Clara, for example, a mule was grazing, and in the Church of Grace a native family had taken up its quarters, along with their varied collection of domestic animals.<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|180}}

But there were other monuments in decent shape: 
*The Escuela de Cristo was one of the best preserved churches and was united with a convent that was still standing. The priest that received the Prince and his three companions told them that all the silver and gold from the church had already been sold by his predecessors, so that he, to his extreme regret, was unable to sell any to them.<ref name=PrinsWilhelm1922/>{{rp|180}}
*The old [[Church and Convent of Capuchins|Capuchin]] monastery with its many underground passages from the monks' cells to those of the nuns was worth a visit, especially one part where the cells were built in a circle surrounding a central common chamber.