An uphill battle: Flickr photo of the day

Things aren’t all good in Antigua Guatemala. The UNESCO World Heritage Site faces an uphill battle against rising crime, dispiriting poverty and (surprise) political dysfunction. In September 2012, the mayor and several members of his family and staff were charged with stealing $3 million from the treasury of the city of only 53,000 people. The U.S. State Department ranks the country of Guatemala as having a “critical” risk of violent crime. American tourists are particular targets because they are thought to carry more dinero than the average Guatemalan…and that’s probably true.

Despite all the bad press, Antigua — a crumbling jewel full of colonial Spanish architecture — still draws hundreds of thousands of American tourists every year, especially during Lent. Bottom line: stay in popular tourist areas and don’t go out alone at night.

JMartinC photographed these women and children in Antigua.

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