Customer Reviews

Antigua Guatemala : The City and Its Heritage

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Are you planning a visit to Antigua Guatemala? Read Elizabeth Bell's Antigua Guatemala: The City and its Heritage first! If you aren't planning a visit, leaf through this book and you will reserve a ticket as soon as possible. Bell's book is a marvelous introduction to the history, architecture, and art of this important colonial city. In addition to an excellent historical introduction, the book includes monument by monument descriptions, museum summaries, and references to specific art objects. Photographs, a comprehensive bibliography, and a charming map are also included. Bell's devotion to the scholarship of the area and the restoration of this beautiful city are remarkable. The book is a terrific introduction to an intriguing city.

I thought the book was going to give 'insider' travel and touring tips for those visiting Antigua and surrounding areas today. Perhaps I should have read the book summary more closely; it is actually a detailed look at the city's development and its history, describing all the places to see from an historical perspective. For those who are interested, the author presents a fascinating yet singularly focused background on the city's development. Her expertise is unquestioned, however I found the writing somewhat dry. Still, I look forward to visiting Antigua soon and I am sure I will share her love and fascination with this beautiful place.

Antigua has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the New World. Once the darling of the Americas, she was virtually abandoned after a devastating earthquake in 1773. Thus, we have one of the most beautiful colonial cities in the Americas.

I became smitten with Antigua while on a holiday from missions work in December 1995. What began as an innocent walking tour with Elizabeth Bell, became a lifelong love of this beautiful city and her people. With Bell's book (and candle, in case night set in), I visited almost every building or ruin and soaked up the romance of this beautiful city.

After marrying in 2002, the only choice for our "luna de miel" or honeymoon...Antigua, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And of course, we packed Elizabeth's book.

This book proved to be perfect. We traveled to Antigua and read it from cover to cover. It is rich with historical information and photos with no excess information like a guidebook would have. My traveling companions bought a second copy in Spanish!