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US$1 = 7.8 quetzales

Some people call Antigua, once the colonial capital of what was to become Guatemala, mysterious. Others call it beautiful.  The truth is that it’s both, plus one other important attribute: It’s extremely affordable.

Antigua is home to colonial mansions painted in blues, yellows, and reds with plants growing between the red clay tiles on the rooftops and inner courtyards filled with bougainvillea blossoming in red and fuchsia. In many courtyards, honeysuckle clings to the eaves, ficus trees stand four meters tall, and old gurgling fountains shoot streams of water from stone maidens’ hand-hewn breasts, just as they’ve done now for the better part of five centuries. Many of these homes have been turned into restaurants or boutiques that you can explore. Others remain private homes. And some of these are for sale. (See below.)

Founded in 1543, Antigua is located in a valley ringed by mountains and three volcanoes. Fuego, aptly named (fuego means fire), is easy to spot, it’s the volcano with a plume of smoke rising from its cone. And at night, if you’re lucky, you’ll see the red flash of its eruptions followed by the glow of lava flowing down its sides.

Evening in Antigua is a ritual. Locals and foreigners alike gather in the central plaza. They chat on park benches, listen to wandering mariachis who will serenade your sweetheart for mere pocket change. Get your shoes shined for a couple of quetzales, or haggle with traditionally dressed Mayan women for handicrafts piled gracefully…yet precariously…on their heads.

On weekends, middle-class and wealthy chapines (the nickname for natives to this country) from Guatemala City drive into Antigua, less than an hour away, in droves. They park their new cars on the cobblestone streets. The younger set hits the discos and salsa clubs on Saturday nights. And on Sunday afternoons, the numerous parks are filled with families enjoying a stroll, their children licking ice cream cones, taking horseback rides, or kicking a soccer ball.

$10 a night for the dulce vida
Many foreigners who come here for a few days end up staying for weeks, months, and even years. People will tell you that they just ‘got stuck’ here. But upon questioning they will admit that they became enchanted by the dulce vida guatemalteca (the gentle Guatemalan life), and they simply haven’t bothered to leave.

Besides the fact that there’s no such thing as a rush in Guatemala, living here is cheap. Though there are expensive restaurants and accommodations, there’s simply no reason for you to stay at the Radisson on the outskirts of town. You can stay in a clean, friendly bed-and-breakfast in the city center for US$10 a night (or US$150 per month) where every meal costs less than US$2.

Stay at Sitio Tres, 4a. Calle Oriente No. 35, Antigua, Guatemala, Central America; tel. (502)832-0064. It’s spotlessly clean and the water is hot. There are fruit trees in the garden, a fountain in the courtyard, and the views of the rooftops, the church spires, and the volcanoes from the roof (accessible at the time of writing by a wooden ladder) are unbeatable.

For deluxe accommodations, stay at the luxurious Posada del Angel, 4a. Avenida Sur No. 24A, Antigua; tel. (502)832-5303, 832-5244, tel./fax 832-0260; E-mail: Elangel@ibm.net, web site: http://www.posadadelangel.com/ .

As for other conveniences of home, the Bodegona on 4a. Calle Poniente is a full-fledged grocery store, though there doesn’t seem to be any logic behind how the merchandise is arranged. There are DHL and UPS offices…cash machines for Visa, MasterCard, and American Express…French and German bakeries… laundry services…English bookstores…Italian, Austrian, Thai and Japanese restaurants…gourmet coffee, tobacco, and sweets shops…Internet cafés…three cinemas that offer films in English…

…and the best Burger King in the world!
Laugh if you want, but after months of eating rice and beans in the hinterlands of Central America, a double cheeseburger with fries is a welcome change. And in Antigua’s Burger King, you can eat your American fast food in perfect greasy bliss in a courtyard beside a fountain (that, granted, leaks a little bit and will get your shoes wet if you sit too close).

In Antigua, Domino’s Pizza delivers (two-for-one pizzas on Tuesdays and Wednesdays), sandwiches are served American-style at Subway, and your glazed-doughnut cravings will be fulfilled at Dunkin Donuts.
On the streets, Mayan women sell tostadas with guacamole or frijoles…tamales…and glasses of warm, sweet, corn atole for 2.50 quetzales each. In the market, a stack of a dozen bananas or a ripe cantaloupe cost 2 quetzales. You can have what you want in Antigua, and it’s easy to meet your needs here for $20 a day.

Real estate is on the expensive side, but worth it
Guatemala’s real-estate prices are generally very inexpensive, but Antigua is an exception. This is due in part to the fact that the city is very well maintained and attracts many visitors. It is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site…in other words, Antigua has been ‘discovered.’

Homes outside the city center are much cheaper, but it would make the most sense, if you decide to live here, to buy in town. First, the colonial homes in the center are simply more beautiful than the new homes on the outskirts. But even more importantly, Antigua is so popular with Guatemalan and foreign visitors, a well-run tourism-oriented business could provide a comfortable income in your semi-retirement, or as the French would say, in your ‘third age.’

Here are three properties perfectly suited for this sort of investment:

Downtown bed and breakfast: On the south side of town, there’s a 5-bedroom home of 780 sq. meters with dining room, living room, family room, kitchen and washroom, with 4 bathrooms, patio, terrace, studio, front, back, and interior gardens. The house has two phone lines, parking, a heated swimming pool, and fireplaces in the living room and master bedroom. The asking price is US$600,000. Contact Maite Morjan, Raices Real Estate, 3a. Calle Poniente No. 5, Antigua, Guatemala; tel. (office) (502)832-7483, (home) 832-2970, beeper 360-3636.

Small hotel: Located on a property of 773 sq. varas is a colonial-style hotel of 540 sq. meters fully furnished in colonial style. There are six bedrooms, two of which have fireplaces, and six and a half bathrooms. The house has a terrace, and several of the bedrooms have private patios. All have telephones, though there is only one outgoing telephone line. The dining room has a large cupola, and the central courtyard has a colonial-style fountain. The asking price is US$450,000. Contact Maite Morjan (see previous contact details.)

‘Sacrifice’ Sale: A 10-room Spanish-style hotel with private baths and spacious gardens is for sale for US$350,000. Contact manager David Mata, 24-C Plazuela del Conquistador, Antigua, Guatemala; tel. (502)832-7224.

Other homes for sale in Antigua include:

Jardines de Antigua: four Spanish-style buildings are for sale, including the main house, a 2-story house, a guesthouse, and servant’s quarters for US$325,000. The property has a garage, carport, gardens, fruit trees, and a telephone. Call (502)832-0156 between 8-9 a.m. (Central Time) or 832-0589 for a message.

3-bedroom house: This two-story house has five bathrooms, a living room with a fireplace, dining room, kitchen, patio, garden, hardwood floors, good security, and telephone. The price is $150,000. Contact Fernando Salazar at Casa Nova Real Estate, 3a. Avenida Norte No. 3, Antigua; tel. (502)832-6825, 832-6130, tel/fax 832-6166; E-mail: casanova@conexion.com.gt; web site: http://www.casanovarealestate.com/ .

A new 3-bedroom house is for sale with a living room and fireplace, dining room, kitchen, garage, telephone, and common area with swimming pool and garden: $175,000. Contact Fernando Salazar (see contact details above).

Your property rights
According to Fernando Salazar from Casa Nova Real Estate, foreigners have the same legal rights as locals. In most of Guatemala, including Antigua, there are no property restrictions, though in protected areas along the coast and lakeshores, property must be leased from the government.

What’s more, you can purchase title insurance in Guatemala, a rarity in Central America.
When buying property, you’ll pay 10 percent of the purchase price as a title tax. (There are no annual property taxes afterwards.) And if you work through a real-estate agent, the seller will pay a 5 percent commission. So as always, you’ll save money if you buy directly from the seller instead of through a middleman.

We recommend that you contact an attorney to help you through the property-buying process. Contact Licencia Azucena, tel. (502)832-4113 in Antigua.

For more information about living and working in Central America…and for personalized tours in 
Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua by four-wheel drive, contact the writer directly at 
davidmorgan@ekno.com .
 

Adultery, intrigue, and pancakes at Café Condesa
Before Guatemala joined the Mexican Empire in the 19th century, Antigua was governed by counts appointed by the Spanish crown. The mansion now inhabited by the Café Condesa (Countess Café in English) on the west side of the plaza was home to one of these noble families.

In the 17th century, business called one of the counts home to Spain for several months. When he returned, he caught his wife and his butler involved in an indiscreet act. The count killed the butler, and for centuries it was rumored that the count had buried him in one of the mansion’s gardens.

In 1973 an earthquake caused some property damage at the Café Condesa. And behind the rubble of the pantry wall they found the skeleton of the butler…standing up!

The counts are gone, but the Café Condesa still serves a royal breakfast for under 30 quetzales under the eaves surrounding the gardens and fountains. I recommend the pancakes with fresh fruit.

Free Salsa and Meringue lessons
You can learn to dance at El Afro, 6a. Calle Poniente No. 9; tel. (502)832-3138. Lessons are free after 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. Ask for Jose Luis.

If learning to dance in a club surrounded by experienced rug-cutters is too daunting, there are a number of dance schools in Antigua where you can take private lessons, including the Escuela de Danza, 5a. Avenida Norte No. 25 and Ritmo Latino, Casa de los Nahuales, 3a. Avenida Sur No. 6.

English-language publications from Guatemala
Revue is Guatemala’s monthly English language magazine, and it’s free at bookstores and restaurants. The magazine has classifieds sections for real estate as well as many other services. You can keep up with the latest in living and traveling in Antigua and many other tourist destinations in Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and Honduras by accessing Revue’s. E-mail revue@mail.com for a subscription, or call tel/fax (502)367-3366.

Guatemala Lifestyles newsletter coins itself as “the resource for those considering living or retiring in Guate-mala.” An annual subscription (6 issues) costs US$39 in North America and comes with a pound of organic Guatemalan coffee. Guatemala Lifestyles also publishes the Step by Step Guide to Permanent Residency, which costs $29.95. Send a personal, business, or travelers check to Guatemala Lifestyles, PO Box 669004 A-192F, Miami Springs, FL 33266-9004 or e-mail: lifestyles@centramerica.com.

Central American conversion confusion
To add to the conversion confusion between American and metric measurements, Central America 
still uses measures inherited from the days of the Spanish Empire. Here is a conversion chart to help make your property search easier:

1 hectarea = 2.4 acres = 1.43 manzanas
1 acre = 0.596 manzanas/1 manzana = 1.68 acres
1 manzana = 6,988 sq. m = 10,000 sq. varas
1 sq. m = 1.431 sq. vara = 10.773 sq. ft.
1 sq. ft. = 0.132 sq. vara/1 sq. vara = 7.53 sq. ft.