La Azotea Cultural Center

During our recent visit to Antigua we decided to take the boys to a nearby coffee farm and museum to introduce them to more of the Guatemalan culture.  La Azotea Cultural Center is located in the town of Jocotenango just minutes away from Antigua.  David and I first visited there back in early 2007 when we were language students in Antigua.  Our language school offered daily afternoon field trips and activities to give us a better idea of life in Guatemala.  I think we did just about everything they offered because it was a fun way to learn more about the country we would be serving in.  One of our favorite field trips was to this museum.  There are actually three museums on the property and also an equestrian facility.  It's just a neat place and we were glad to get to revisit it again with our boys.

arriving at the entrance

Cruz ready to go explore

The first museum we went in was the Casa K'ojom Mayan Music Museum.  It is probably my favorite of all.  The boys got to see many Mayan instruments and even got to play several of them.  That in itself was a lot of fun.

Cruz on the marimba

There is a theater that you enter to watch a short movie on Mayan music.  Here we are below ready for the movie to begin.  

The second museum we walked through was Rincon de Sacatepequez.   It is a museum of textiles and customs of people around Antigua.  It is filled with dioramas showing kite flying, weaving, tortilla making, typical shops and market, and a newly wed couple leaving the village church. 

Ben especially enjoyed playing with the dried beans in the market display.  He returned to this spot many times while we were there.  Since returning home I have made him his own sensory bin filled with dried beans. He has played with and sorted those beans for hours over the past few days.  That's a last minute Christmas gift idea if you have little ones- dried beans and some plastic bowls.  If they are anything like mine they will love it and it will entertain them well.

headed out to tour the farm

picking coffee beans

Our last stop was the coffee museum. This is David's favorite part.  He is crazy about coffee.

the boys checking out the old coffee farm machines

learning about the different stages of coffee beans

coffee beans at different stages

all about roasting coffee

an old fashioned coffee grinder

After touring the museum we headed out back to the drying patios.  The guys were working that day so we got to watch them do their jobs.  We saw beans come in from the farm and be washed and sorted.  We also got a close up look at the beans laid out drying in the sun.  They use big wooden rakes to turn the beans to get them completely dried.  The boys got to take a few turns doing that and thought it was the coolest thing.  It is now several days later and they are still talking about how much fun it was. 

coffee bean drying patios

my boys at the coffee farm

beans galore!

Cruz using the rake to turn the beans

Ben was working hard!

What a fun afternoon we had!

I think they would have worked the rest of the day had we let them.

Instead, we were ready for our free sample of coffee that comes with the tour.  We sat out on this patio and enjoyed it before returning back to Antigua.  Don't you just love those coffee bean chairs!

It's really a fun, interesting place to visit and a great place to let kids burn off some energy.   That's a win, win for any parent, right?  If you get a chance to go, check it out.  I think you would enjoy it.