On July 29th, 1773, the Santa Marta earthquake devastated Antigua Guatemala. Today, Antigua is known as la Ciudad de las Ruinas due to it having the largest concentration of ruined cathedrals in Latin America.

During the fall of 2023, I fulfilled a lifetime dream of mine. My partner and I traveled to Antigua to study Spanish and photograph the haunting relics of the city’s past. These ruined cathedrals felt personal to me; I had lived through a devastating experience during the Covid pandemic and was still rebuilding my sense of self-worth from the wreckage. Photographing Antigua’s ghostly ruins with my trusty Bronica, I heard the promise of rebirth whispered within their depths.

Special thanks to: Beth Maloney, Tempe Photo, Framing Works, and my sons Lincoln and Jude.