Holy Week in Guatemala is celebrated with street expressions of faith, called processions, usually organized by a "hermandad". Each procession of Holy Week has processional floats and steps, which are often religious images of the Passion of Christ, or Marian images. The Catholic fervor that currently exists in Guatemala has almost magical and mystical dyes due to the syncretism between the Mayan religion and the Catholic doctrine; it combines elements dating from the old American cultures and from Catholicism imposed by the Spanish in the Colonial era, promoting evangelization as part of their conquest plan. The processional parades in Guatemala are accompanied throughout the entire journey by musical orchestras that perform funeral or festive marches composed mostly of national artists
Antigua, Guatemala – March 04, 2013: Holy Week and Lent in Antigua. The history of processions in Guatemala has become a very important part of the country’s cultural and religious traditions, taking place specially during Easter Week season. Its origin dates back to the arrival of the Spanish in Guatemala, promoting evangelization as part of their conquest plan.