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In this escalara de caracol (winding staircase) you find the same repetitive azulejos (ceramic tiles) found in the stairway details photo from yesterday.

And I wonder aloud, how can things so simple be so beautiful? ¡Qué alguien me lo explique!

In this photo you can see how some simple details and their repetition turn a utilitarian architectonic device like the stairway into a gorgeous piece of every-day beauty. You take the bare stairway, add the martirinado effect (hammered and chipped-away) to the huella (the run), some repetitive patterns in the form of ceramic tiles to the contra-huella (the rise) and the zócalo (the skirting or baseboard) and you finish it with a very pleasant martirinado forged metal handrail and you’re set to go up and down with style!

In the Casa Antigüeña you often find stairways or staircases. Quite often you find forged metal handrails beautifully worked by the antigüeño blacksmiths.

Wait a minute Rudy, you’ve had said before that the building codes in La Antigua Guatemala prohibit new two-storey constructions. Oops, that’s right I said that. But, I did not mention at the time that architects are very creative and they figured that they can build a one-storey house with very high ceilings and then they can split some of the height and turn what would be the attic into a loft. Creative, I tell you! These architects always find a way where there is a will.

Now, I don’t know if the fireplace was an element of the original house from La Antigua Guatemala, but in recent years it looks like, under the influence of the expat community, the fireplace has become commonplace inside all the new houses. I say that I am not sure about the fireplace being an original architectonic element of the casa antigüeña since the weather in and around Antigua is always Spring season year-round.

The word for living room in Spanish is sala and the word for fireplace is chimenea which also applies for chimney and chiminea.

Can anybody say for sure if fireplaces were common in the original colonial homes?

The area for el comedor (dining room) in the casa antigüeña has always flowers nearby, light, lots of it and usually at least a window. Sometimes you also get to see arches or domes or both in the dining area of the houses from Antigua. In this case, the dining area is clean and elegant with three sources of light and a nice arched ceiling with bare terra cotta brick textures.

Who wants to join me for a cup of the best coffee in the world and champurradas any given afternoon?

The kitchen area in the casa antigüeña usually has a high ceiling provided by cupola which in most cases served as chimney, but in most recent times and design is simply a decorative architectonic element. You normally find arches inside the house, the kitchen being no exception. The counter is usually cover with ceramic tiles and, of course, you will find real authentic wood kitchen cabinets.

Disclaimer: All the photos in the Casa Antigüeña series were taken at very new construction, perhaps a couple of years old, designed by professional architects and with a liberal combination of architectonic elements taken from the original house from La Antigua Guatemala. The series itself is trying to show exactly how a set or combination of architectonic elements can turn a fairly new and modern construction into the look-and-feel of the original casa antigüeña. The houses in La Antigua Guatemala are all different, but you can pull together many elements that make them similar and quite possibly unique as a whole. So, please, don’t waste any time thinking about this particular house; rather, think on the distinctive architectonic elements.

Casas antigüeñas normally have at least one corridor or hallway, usually next to the garden and fountain. Omnipresent are the terra cotta floor tiles and wood beans and columns.

Now Stephanie asked how typical is the house that will be shown in the Casa antigüeña series on the first entry. Good question. Well the house is not for the middle class, it is a rather a house for expats or wealthy Guatemalans since it’s located in a very exclusive colonia (neighborhood). Nevertheless, just about all the elements of the house that would be shown are emblematic of the Casa Antigüeña, which by its very definition is for the wealthy. The only middle-class or poor people who still own a house in La Antigua Guatemala do it mostly through inheritance. No poor of middle-class Guatemalan can afford the real estate prices of La Antigua Guatemala.

Several times people have asked to show the inside of a house from La Antigua Guatemala and I had said that I would show as many aspects of casa antigüeña (House from Antigua) if I was ever given permission. Well, we can rejoice now because we’re going to begin a tour through the inside of a casa antigüeña.

Back in June 6th, 2007 this is what I wrote:

Normally I have only shown the façade of many houses and building in La Antigua Guatemala for an obvious reason: I do not have access to the inside. Well, some of you may ask, what is on the other side of the wall? For sure there is no easy answer, but there are some common aspects of the architecture of Antigua Guatemala. Most of the time Antiguan architecture dictates to have a simple façade to the outside with only doors and windows showing, but this simplicity shown on the outside is completely abandon for the inside where you can find gardens, patios, fountains, half fountain, búcaro fountains, pergolas, cobblestone patios or ceramic tiles, metal and/or wooden doors and crates, forged-metal railings, copulas for air, light or as chimney for the kitchens or living rooms. The real beauty of house in Antigua Guatemala is in the inside. Too bad I can not show you the inside of many houses around Antigua. Nonetheless, I will show as many aspects of house when I am given permission. For now enjoy a peek at the other side of the wall.

We will begin this new casa antigüeña series with the búcaro fountain since we still have its definition fresh in our memory.