Chico Sanchez | La Antigua's Easter Week

Photo © Chico Sanchez- All Rights Reserved

La Antigua is a city with a UNESCO World Heritage Site appellation, and a city in central Guatemala, famous for its Catholic celebration of Holy Week, which commemorates the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

All of Antigua participates in the annual event, and the entire week is replete with religious activities. These rituals arrived with the missionaries from Spain, who brought Catholic fervor to the local indigenous population during colonial times. The event begins on Palm Sunday, during which images of Jesus and the Holy Virgin of Sorrow are carried from their churches through the city on the shoulders of devoted followers who carry lanterns while dressed in purple robes with white waistbands. 

On Good Friday, the streets of Antigua are covered with natural, aromatic carpets of flowers, pines, clover, fruits and colored sawdust, which the residents put together and place in front of their homes. 

Chico Sanchez just produced an audio slideshow of the event, with ambient sound and narration/interview.

I've featured the work of Chico Sanchez, a freelance photographer based in Mexico City, on a number of occasions. Chico worked in Venezuela, collaborating with Reuters, European Pressphoto Agency, Agencia EFE, and currently freelances for various newspapers and magazines.