A Tribute to Doors in Antigua and to a Photographer who Loved Guatemala

What's a door, really? An entrance. A way to bar yourself from the outside. Something that needs to be strong, yet movable. It's a door.

I've thought about these photographs of doors in particular lately. They were taken by Thomas Richwine, a photographer and friend who came to visit and volunteer in Guatemala. He really enjoyed touring Antigua! He recently passed through the door of this life into the next. He was 28.

I remember when he came back from touring Antigua. He was loaded with information and excited to share what he had learned!

Apparently, in Antigua, you can read more from a door than just it's architectural style and color. While touring Antigua with a guide, our friend reported back that in the colonial times one could know how many servants worked at a house by counting the amount of ornaments on the doors. Many people are fascinated by the architecture of Antigua, and in particular the doors.
I've included several pictures and links to other blogs with great pictures of doors in Antigua.

In the words of Maurenice: "The first thing we look at when entering someone's house is the door and the facade of the home. Antiguan's know the importance of this, and seem to be one step ahead as they have these very inspired and well crafted doors."

David, another visitor, says: "I recently visited Antigua, Guatemala and fell in love with the Spanish Baroque architecture. The city dates back to the early 1500's and has spectacular ruins of Colonial churches. It has been selected as an official UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was immediately drawn to the cobblestone streets and colorful facades. However, what really caught my attention were the fantastic doors on each street."

Many of the doors have intriguing very old hardware; locks, handles, decorations.

As said by neeko, "In the streets of Antigua, walls are everywhere. With its narrow sidewalks and cobblestone streets, it almost feels like you are constantly walking down an alley in some kind of inverted cityscape. From the streets, almost everything is concealed from public view. However, if you pay close attention to the craftsmanship of a door or window, you can get a much better idea of what lays hidden on the other side."

Especially the first time visiting Antigua, many people feel the same as this person from the Antigua Daily Photo who said: "they could just go around Antigua taking shots of just doors and windows."

From fellow bloggers FortyTwentyFour: "Antigua is filled with lovely architectural and design detail. It was hard not taking pictures of everything.I love all the doors in Antigua. Such detail..."

What do you think? Does it open the doors to your desire to travel to a place like Antigua, Guatemala? They inspired Thomas and continue to remind me of him to this day.