History

Architecture in Antigua, Guatemala, is beautiful – the legacy lives on. The Ayuntamiento (the Town Hall); the Real Palacio (Royal Palace) or Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (the Palace of the Captains General); the Universidad de San Carlos; the cathedral; the San Francisco, La Merced and Santa Clara churches; the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de El Carmen (Our Lady of Carmen Convent); and the monumental convent complex, school, and church of the Compañía de Jesús, are all places that you should not miss on your trip.

They are all part of our heritage and are infused with a sense of peace, allure, and culture. Antigua is a city beyond compare that has been named part of the cultural Heritage of Humanity and is part of the history of all of Latin America.

In 1554, the first capital of Guatemala was founded: “Santiago de los Caballeros.” It was colonized by the Spanish and the region began to develop as the center of activity in the “New World.”

In 1557, the capital was moved to the slopes of the “Volcán de Agua” volcano and was named Santiago de Guatemala, as part of the developing history of the country. By 1594, it was the head of the whole Central American region and part of North America: The Capitanía General de Guatemala was one of the seats of the Spanish crown in the Americas. Located in Santiago de Guatemala, the Capitanía caused the city to grow and it became the most important commercial, political, cultural and religious center in Latin America for more than two centuries.

Several earthquakes threatened the structure that the Spanish had created, so finally in 1774, the capital was moved to what is now known as Guatemala City. Antigua is what was left behind and is now a Heritage of Humanity cultural site as declared by UNESCO in 1965.

This is a place that is suspended in time, a beautiful place to discover, a place for you.