Crypt-Crawling (& more) at Museo de Casa Santo Domingo
Written by Phillip LaPalme, Edited by Willow Coyle, Photos by Willow Coyle & Phillip LaPalme. All Rights Restricted.
Our visit to Hotel Casa Santo Domingo
Only a couple blocks from where we’re staying, exists this sprawling ancient monastery of endless glory. Unassuming from the front, as you walk through the gate and down the long vine-covered vestibule, you travel back in time. immediately upon entering we were enamored — We walked upon gorgeous tile down a long corridor flanked by gardens and water features that elicited a feeling of pure tranquility. This grand entrance led us right into the heart of a 16th century monastery, beckoning us to roam and explore. Every part of this domain is a museum — There are exhibits, both ancient and modern, at every turn. Since its restoration and excavation, the Monasterio de Santo Domingo has become a hotel complete with a spa, salon, pool, restaurant, bar, chocolatería, but more importantly, it is a living relic. You can wander around as you please and enjoy every bit of history and witness the ongoing archaeological endeavors. You can also sneak into the guest area and treat yourself to tea and biscuits — (Although I can neither confirm nor deny that we did this…)
Time traveling to the 16th Century
Let us skip all the way back to the year 1538 when the Monasterio de Santo Domingo was built upon the arrival of the Order of Preachers (also known as Dominicans), to Guatemala. This was one of the most important and largest convents in the Americas at the time — Its residents were followers of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (or Saint Dominic), the patron saint of astronomy. The monastery originally had been equipped with two towers and ten bells and was filled with riches and relics. Unfortunately, on July 29th, 1773, the monastery was partially destroyed by the Santa Maria Earthquake. This earthquake is estimated to have been of 7.5 magnitude and was part of a series of shocks that went on until December that year. At the time, Santiago de Los Caballeros de Guatemala (modern day Antigua, Guatemala), was the Spanish capital of Guatemala but the earthquake forced them to relocate to Asuncion (modern day Guatemala City). Luckily, in 1979, Antigua, Guatemala was declared a UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site. That’s right, the entire city is a preservation! Then, in 1989, the project known as Casa Santo Domingo was started with the objective of rescuing the monastery which had since been covered in earth and rubble. Today, we have the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo.
Back to 2022
As we passed the hotel check-in desk, we ventured off into a side room that was exhibiting the art of Guatemalan native, Klara Chavarriá. Her magnificent works were surreal and endlessly engaging. Chavarriá’s paintings are definitely something to see in person as they are choc-full of texture, which is a work of art in itself. Her use of color is impeccable, yet subtle and meaningful. The overall images evoke various emotions and politely demand analysis. The initial thought of simplicity at first glance, immediately gives way to an understanding of complexity as you gaze longer and get closer to the image. Make sure to check out her site, linked below.
We next ventured past the dark and decadent-looking bar (which was lamentably closed), then the busy restaurant, which was a cacophony of clinking cutlery, into a beautiful courtyard which serves as the nexus to an array of activities. Through the courtyard, we made time to admire the blue parrots and Scarlet Macaws who call the monastery home and have a pretty sweet setup in the trees. We walked on to where the ruins began which are now fitted with a raised walkway to aid in traversing the area.
We were immediately confronted by an ossuary (a container or room in which the bones of dead people are placed), where two skeletons lie peacefully behind glass — A blanket of clovers nestled the bones with tiny white blossoms sprouting up all around. We continued on… to the crypts! Down we went into a (surprisingly not that dank) chamber. The arched tomb had large holes in the walls that kept the air flowing, creating a nice temperate climate. On the ground were two glass-covered coffins containing the skeletons of a man and woman who had previously been buried under the floorboards of the church.
Just beyond the skeletons was what, from a distance, appeared to be a recently deceased priest atop an altar waiting for the mummification process — It proved to be a dummy; however, on either side of the altar were two more ossuaries filled with a healthy amount of random bits of bone. We read that there was another nearby crypt to explore and wandering over that way brought us through a beautiful chapel.
This next crypt-crawl required us to descend down 17 steps of a spiral staircase into the blackness of a tomb. Luckily, at the bottom we were greeted with automatic lights which revealed a religious display of life-sized figures and some information regarding the area. We learned that it is quite possible that Fray Francisco Ximénez was buried at this site, as they discovered documents buried that explained that he was laid to rest there. Ximénez is well-known for translating and transcribing the Castilian version of the Popol Vuh —(Castilian being a Spanish dialect of Northern and Central Spain) and the Popol Vuh being the sacred text of the Mayan creation myth. This was the only written copy of the story of Popol Vuh, as all others had been lost or destroyed (save for some pictorial versions found painted in some ruins). Off this main room was another ossuary which was about 10x10 feet — directly on the ground below us and covered in glass, lay numerous bones set gently in the fine, sand-like earth. You can even walk over them... if you dare.
We next went to view the other various museums and galleries which include Mayan artifacts and Spanish antiquities which are complemented by contemporary art from artists the world over. One museum that we particularly enjoyed, showcases modern glass sculptures set beside their ancient Mayan ceramic art counterparts, depicting everything from local fauna to mythical beings. Each of the sections blended ancient with modern and in a visually stunning way, leaving us to contemplate the enduring fascinations humans have with their natural surroundings. The Archaeology museum had just a few pieces, but what was available to see was brilliant.
We were delighted to see photography of Antigua and Guatemala City from the 1800s, juxtaposed by modern photography shot from the same angles as the previous photos. We then happened upon a hallway where the walls were adorned by the work of Magda Eunice Sánchez. The late Sánchez was a native Guatemalan artist who was a architect, watercolorist, draftsman, ceramist, sculptor and illustrator. Her works displayed here consisted mainly of ballerinas, cats and horses — We particularly enjoyed the cats! Photo above is likely to be a depiction of the legendary El Sombrerón... read more about this trickster here!
Although we did not make use of the restaurant, spa or other hotel accommodations, we certainly got what we came for — History, art, ruins and an up-close, personal experience. We did pop into the chocolatería to see if they also sold beverages but we left empty-handed — Phil cannot be trusted with chocolate anyway. Every nook and cranny of Casa Santo Domingo is full of art, artifacts, relics and information to go with them. The hotel’s website proclaims, ”Hotel Museum Spa Casa Santo Domingo progressively emerged where each corner is a page lost in time that joins others to form a beautiful chapter of the great book of our history” — We agree. In total, the hotel has six permanent museums and two art galleries with temporary exhibits. There’s so much more to see than what we’ve described but we urge you to investigate for yourself; either online or by coming to this beautiful country!
Reference & Additional Reading:
https://www.casasantodomingo.com.gt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monasterio_de_Santo_Domingo,_Antigua_Guatemala
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Dominic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1773_Guatemala_earthquake
https://www.klarachavarria.com/publications.vm
https://20090056.wixsite.com/misitio-7/biograf%C3%ADa
