Antigua tries to fight off "Guatemala problems"

The AP has a new post on Guatemala's longtime tourist mecca of Antigua suffers rising crime, political dysfunction. Antigua is one of the most charming cities in the Americas and one of the most important to Guatemalan tourism. Unfortunately, there have been problems for at least the last year, including rising crime and the dereliction of public services.

Tourists are being mugged, bus companies extorted, and businesses and homes burglarized at a greater rate. The city is having a difficult time collecting trash, keeping the water running, and buses operating.

Many blame political turmoil for the troubles in this city of about 53,000 people. Antigua hasn't had an elected mayor since September 2012 when Adolfo Vivar and several relatives and members of his administration were charged with establishing a criminal network that stole nearly $3 million from the city's treasury. Although an interim mayor was named, electoral authorities haven't yet said how Vivar and the council members will be permanently replaced.

That's left Antigua unable to attend to basic business and spooked some longtime townspeople, who say they're afraid their charming niche amid the volcanoes could see vital tourism revenue plummet.

I lived in Antigua for the first half of 2013. I was there with my family and I can say that we did not have any problems. I can't say that we were that worried about crime either but that's obviously because we lived in two different gated communities. Given that my wife and I were there with a 4 and 6 year, we also did not go out too much at night.

However, we did hear several stories of people being robbed. Most tended to be of the pickpocket variety. We would also read of a number of robberies of businesses, especially computer/electronic stores. I was also told about a few violent attacks against foreign women, one a home invasion and another a kidnapping from in front of a well-known hotel, in recent years. I didn't get specific dates but they occurred prior to our arrival last December.

Even with the apparent increase in crime, Antigua still was a pleasant, safe place to live. And, honestly, I heard similar stories when I passed through in 1998, including armed robberies and sexual attacks against women. I have no doubt that things are worse today but don't walk away with the impression that these things didn't used to happen.

There were also a number of people who did not believe that the charges against the mayor were true or, even if they were, he still got things done. They all benefited from his corruption.

For me, the biggest changes in Antigua were the number of people and cars, the cost of living, and the "first world" amenities. I first visited Antigua in 1998 as a backpacker. It was a really charming city where you could roam the streets. When I returned this year with my family, you could not roam the streets. It felt like there were more cars, buses, tuk-tuks, and motorcycles than there were people. Crossing or walking the streets was much more dangerous. This is a problem as most of the sidewalks are narrow and homes have planters or flower boxes in their windows that seem to take up half of the sidewalk. You can also appreciate the beauty of the homes on both sides of the street by walking on the cobblestone. And the cobblestones do not seem to be holding up that well to all the traffic.

The cost of living seems to have increased quite significantly. Part of that is being a foreigner as people are always trying to scam you. The influx of wealthy foreigners, including a number of retirees, has pushed up housing prices forcing locals out of the city's central area. Another contribution is simply the cost of goods nationwide, for example the price of tortillas. Now some of this is just me. I was on a much tighter budget fifteen years ago and was not traveling with children so some of the price inflation was self-inflicted.

Finally, the "first world" amenities. It's great that you can go to Antigua and get a happy meal, crepes, bagels, bratwurst, and fusion food that you've never dreamed of. However, many of the locals (and foreigners) complained that few of the businesses were owned by Guatemalans or served Guatemalan food. It wasn't that these new businesses were adding to what was available in Antigua. They were replacing what had been available.

Antigua is still a lovely place and one that I would be happy to return to and, perhaps, even live long-term. My wife probably wouldn't go back without a car. Tuk-tuks are cute the first few times but then they become more of a nightmare. It is just that, like many things, it used to be better.

That's more of a problem for those who've been there before or who live there today. First-timers will still love it.