Although the population topped 60,000 in the 1770s, Antigua’s current population is roughly half that.
The city is a mecca for grand weddings among the ruined cathedrals
and Spanish immersion classes in the dozens of schools that have sprouted up as
adaptive uses of old low-rise Mudejar-influenced buildings.
Not a native Spanish speaker, Bell
acquired the language and graduated from the University
of San Carlos in Guatemala,
holding a degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.
After experiencing the 1976 earthquake in Antigua, she worked on
her Master of Arts at the University of Washington, majoring in Latin American
history.
Upon her return she co-authored the first of her series of books
on Antigua.
She was Director of Educational
Programs and Public Information at the Consejo Nacional Para la Protección de
La Antigua Guatemala (the
national council to preserve Antigua) from 1978
to 1987.
As head of its information department, she designed and directed
preservation educational programs for 10,000 schoolchildren.
Elizabeth Bell profile continues tomorrow Dec. 22
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