Crowds gather in Parque Central in Antigua, Guatemala, for a Good Friday procession. (Vawn Himmelsbach)

There's something in the air during Semana Santa, or Holy Week, in Antigua, Guatemala. And it's not just the billowing clouds of incense that accompany the processions slowly winding through the cobblestone streets.

There's excitement in the air as thousands of people descend upon this UNESCO World Heritage Site (not to be confused with the island of Antigua in the Caribbean) for what's generally considered Latin America's most extravagant celebration leading up to Easter Sunday.

Antigua is about an hour's drive from Guatemala City, the nation's capital. It's a picturesque colonial town with brightly-coloured houses and red tile roofs, surrounded by the Guatemalan highlands and three volcanoes (which, like the CN Tower, can help you get your bearings). Volcan de Fuego, or Volcano of Fire, is almost always active.

Antigua was the seat of the Spanish colonial government until it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes in 1773. The government established Guatemala City as the capital three years later. Some of the old cathedrals still lie in ruins around the city.

Though Antigua is being gentrified (there's now a McDonald's, albeit in a lovely colonial building), there's still something that draws people to this place — and back again. One of the best times to visit, however, is during Semana Santa, which commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.

You don't have to be Catholic — or even remotely religious for that matter — to appreciate the beauty and grandeur of these elaborate processions. In North America, we've lost many of our traditional rituals — or commercialized them. But you won't find chocolate bunnies and cream-filled eggs in Guatemala as Easter nears. Here, you'll witness a level of devotion that leaves many Westerners standing teary-eyed in the streets.

All week long, processions involving thousands of people wind through the streets. Robed incense carriers are followed by processional floats and a funeral-march band.

Women carry a float bearing a statue of the Virgin Mary. Some of the floats carried in the Holy Week processions weigh more than 3,000 kilograms. (Vawn Himmelsbach)

It all begins on Palm Sunday, where the floats, called andas, are carried through the streets on the shoulders of the devout. And that's no easy feat — some of these floats weigh more than 3,000 kilograms. Men dressed in purple robes carry andas bearing statues of Christ, while the women (amazingly, many of them wearing high-heeled shoes), carry the Virgin Mary on their shoulders.

It culminates on Good Friday, when the streets are covered in patterned "carpets" made of brightly coloured sawdust, pine needles and flower petals — bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations, roses. People stay up all night perfecting their carpets. If you're in the region during Semana Santa, you may get a chance to help create a carpet for one of the processions.

At 3 a.m., a mock trial and sentencing takes place, and Roman soldiers march through the dark streets to the beat of a drum. During the day, processions with Christ carrying the crucifix make their way around the city, crowded with people dressed in black for mourning. The carriers of the main float are the first to walk over the carpets, immediately destroying the elaborate Mayan, Roman and colonial patterns.

On Easter Sunday, the tone changes — people dance through the streets waving yellow and white ribbons, while somehow managing to avoid all the firecrackers going off.

Troubled past

A procession passes by a carpet made of coloured sawdust, pine needles and flower petals. Local residents stay up all night perfecting the carpets that decorate the street. (Vawn Himmelsbach)

While Semana Santa in Antigua is spectacular, Guatemala does have a bad reputation (deservedly so) for crime and violence. Like many parts of Central and South America, the region has its share of armed robberies, and as a result, for years tourists have generally been leery of visiting Guatemala. But things are changing.

There's a reason Guatemala is in recovery mode — it suffered through decades of political instability, civil war and a campaign of torture and disappearances in what some consider a government-sponsored genocide against indigenous people. The last century saw 35 years of civil war and human rights abuses.

In the 1950s, the government was overthrown with the help of the CIA, along with a group of upper-class Guatemalans, after it expropriated land from the U.S.-owned United Fruit Company (also known as Chiquita Banana), which led to instability. The '60s saw the formation of the White Hand and Anticommunist Secret Army paramilitary organizations, and the U.S. Green Berets were sent in to train troops to fight insurgents. In the '70s, two new groups were formed, the Guerrilla Army of the Poor and the Organization of the People in Arms, which stepped up guerrilla attacks against the military.

Finally, the U.S. banned military aid in 1979 because of widespread human rights abuses. In the '80s, more than 45,000 Guatemalans fled to Mexico. A peace accord, brokered by the UN, was reached between the government and the guerrillas in 1996, and the country has remained relatively peaceful since that time.

Aside from politics, Antigua has been pummeled by earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions over the past few centuries, but it remains standing — much like the people here. Watching tiny Mayan women, young and old, carrying the weight of the processional floats on their shoulders is a reminder of their strength.

Travelling safely

A group dressed as Roman soldiers marches its mock prisoners through the streets of Antigua, Guatemala, during Holy Week. (Vawn Himmelsbach)

While there are amazing experiences to be had in the area, it's advisable to take some common-sense precautions to ensure a safe trip — particularly when it comes to cash and valuables.

In February, for example, a group of European tourists watching the sun rise over Tikal, Guatemala's impressive Mayan ruins, was robbed by masked men wielding machetes and rifles. The bandits took the tourists' money and cameras before disappearing into the jungle.

When visiting popular events like Semana Santa, beware of pickpockets — crowds provide them with a great opportunity to slash your purse and make off with its contents.

Another thing to be aware of when travelling through many Latin American countries is that you're going to be more of a target if you're travelling in private tourist transport or a rental car. The safest option is to travel the way the locals do — on chicken buses (so called because they're old Canadian and American school buses that serve as public transit for locals and, yes, even chickens). They're also one of the best places to practise your Spanish.

Travel tips

That said, Antigua is one of Guatemala's safest cities and even has its own tourist police, which you'll find on every street corner during Semana Santa.

You can get a flight for about $600 from Toronto to Guatemala City — from there, take a taxi directly to Antigua.

The devout bear a processional float on their shoulders during Semana Santa, or Holy Week, in Antigua, Guatemala. (Vawn Himmelsbach)

The key to experiencing Semana Santa is to book a hotel room far in advance. The rates will likely be double at this time of year, but you should still get a simple hotel room for around $30 a night.

Antigua is also one of the best spots to study Spanish in Latin America, with a choice of about 75 schools and private classes (though some ex-pats recommend going to smaller villages outside Antigua, where almost no English is spoken). Some schools offer one-on-one tutoring (four hours a day, five days a week for less than $100 a week), and many will offer to put you up with a Guatemalan family, with three meals a day, for less than $100.

To find out more on Spanish schools in Latin America, check out 124teachme.com. It has information on instruction and pricing, living arrangements, as well as evaluations of various schooling options by former students.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]