Travel Guide Antón

This peaceful town is transformed every year around October 10, during the "Toro Guapo" festival. Antón is the scene of float parades, traditional services, concerts and theatrical dances, such as that of the toro guapo: accompanied by musicians, the performer dressed in a wooden shell and cane, with a bull's head and small mirrors, mingles with the crowd. As he dances, he woos the women in his path..Less pagan, the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas celebrations in January attract even larger crowds. This fervor has been alive and well ever since fishermen were hauling in their nets one day when they found a box bearing the inscription "Esquipulas, Guatemala", with a life-size statue of the crucified Christ inside. The news aroused great emotion among the population, and when the vicar decided that the statue should be installed in Penonomé, everyone objected. Nevertheless, the priest sent some men to force the box up. As they lifted it, they felt a strange resistance. Aware of this second "miracle", the vicar decided that the statue should finally be installed in Antón's church. Ceremonies began with a sea bath for Christ on January 6, followed by 10 days of processions.