TO SEE · 04/08/2014
Old Meets New: Guatemala
Employees who’ve worked at Warby Parker for three years get a special treat: a trip to the highlands of Guatemala, where one of our partners is busy training entrepreneurs to give basic eye exams and distribute glasses. It’s a neat reward for three years at Warby— seeing how our partners are paving the way toward economic sustainability in global communities.
Our trip started in Antigua, a city founded in 1524 by the Spanish, who thought it would be a good idea to build their capital 1,500 meters above sea level beneath three active volcanos in an earthquake-prone region. (Maybe, in retrospect, not the greatest plan. The capital was eventually moved.)
Visiting modern-day Antigua is like dropping into a distant past: think cobblestone streets, colonial architecture (central fountains, houses that look like cakes, grand arches). But that’s just the surface view, and in truth, the streets are abuzz with vespas and vendors, internet cafés and commerce. Old meets new. It’s funny to watch kids type out text messages from sidewalks built on an Italian Renaissance-style grid pattern.
There’s more about our partnerships here.
Photos by Ester Havens