La Cruz

Surrounding the city of Antigua are some impressive volcanoes, which are not something I am used to experiencing in my topography coming from the state of Michigan and living in the swamp of Washington DC. To the south is Volcan Agua, which gives great views each morning as I walk to work and the sky is clear of any clouds.

To the northern end is not a volcano, but some serious hilly terrain (I hesitate to use the term "mountainous" as one of my brothers now lives in Nepal, surrounded by the Himalayan Mountains, which put any Guatemalan "mountains" to shame). Anyhow, a quick 10 minute walk from my house and I am at the foot of said hilly terrain, called Cerro de la Cruz, or hill with the cross (sounds more elegant in Spanish, eh?). A footpath snakes its way up the hillside and within a quick 10 minutes a lookout can be found. A clear view overlooking the city of Antigua from the north is your reward for a the quick jaunt up the mountain's stair-master.

  View of Antigua from Cerro de la Cruz (Volcan Agua in the background)

Overlooking the city you get some exquisite views of the colonial town of Antigua vibrant with its bright yellow buildings and red roofs peppered throughout the town. 

La Cruz

Hiking up the hill is not very demanding and reaching the top offers a quaint place to relax, read a book, soak up the nice view, and enjoy a nice breeze. Although I have now been up to the cross 3-4 times now, I can't recall the exact date it was erected, nor the backstory as to its significance or why it was placed on this hill in the first place. Some quick research tells me it might date back as far as the 1620's, but another trip in the near future will have to be made to confirm that.

View of the Cross/Lookout from Antiguan streets

Walking through the streets of Antigua it is not hard to spot the cross as it sits perched above the city keeping watch. I snapped this photo around 4th or 3rd Avenue while walking home from work the other day, which helps give some perspective. The cross is faintly visible in the cleared patch of land on the hillside just above the second lamp post to the left of the photo.