During its splendor, La Antigua Guatemala was a city with many temples and convents. Of these, today we have some remains, even monuments that still preserve its ancient magnificence. The records that we are publishing will give you information about these beauties of our cultural patrimony.

This beautiful monument has been described as a building with a two level arcade. At the present time, the structure is ruined, the arcades have disappeared and only a part of the main walls remains. After the earthquakes of 1751, the Augustinians were recommended to move out of the building.

Type of building: Monument in ruins
Present address: 7a. Avenida Norte y 5a. Calle Poniente, esquina (corner)
Original address: the same
Presently used as: Parrish M.H.V.P. (monument available for the public eye, for its initials in Spanish)
Original intend: Church and convent

Main description: It is located parallel to the street that crosses from the Central Plaza to the corner of San Lazaro. The church as well as the convent occupied the eastern side of one block, which is a bigger extension than the usual. To the west it had gardens and an orchard. The front is formed with a central door with a semicircle arch, decorated with stucco in the upper part, where a niche is located. It has two Doric columns, placed to the sides of the door. It has high windows with semicircle arches. Its construction has been attributed to the free mulatto Juan Pascual, who was an architect. It used to have a dome with a normal height that was damaged in 1751, and, as a result of this, they authorized to lower the walls to the height of the windows, which is how it is found at this moment.

On May 5, 1725, with the Royal License of his Majesty the King of Spain, the Capuchin nuns of Madrid established a convent of its order in the City of Santiago de Guatemala, and its altar was dedicated to Nuestra Se–ora del Pilar de Zaragoza (Our Lady of el Pilar de Zaragoza)

The church is located in the angled formed by the 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street. It has a small atrium on front and a lateral entrance. Originally the convent occupied the whole block. To this day it houses the offices of the Consejo Nacional para la Protección de la Antigua Guatemala (National Council for the Protection of Antigua Guatemala- CNPAG for its initials in Spanish).

Type of building: church and convent
Present address: corner of the 2a. Avenida Norte y 2a. Calle Oriente
Original address: the same
Presently used as: Offices of the CNPAG, it is an M.H.V.P. (monument available for the public eye, for its initials in Spanish)
Original intend: Church and convent

The front of the building, with an altar-piece type is divided in a horizontal way into two bodies and a crest. The bodies consist of ten Tuscan columns, four on each body and two in the crest. The central street has a main entrance door with a semicircle arch, in the first body, and the window for the choir on the second body. The crest is formed by a vaulted niche, flanked by two columns and two volutes. There are some remains that make believe there was a third body that was part of the building.

During the time of the Colony, this temple used to be the Cathedral of the Captaincy. And it was here where all the ecclesiastic, civil and military authorities gathered together to listen to the Mass, before or after important events. This temple is still in use. Before it was built, there were two other cathedrals that had been constructed before but that were destroyed.

Type of building: Cathedral Church
Present address: Main Plaza
Original address: Main Plaza
Presently used as: Parrish M.H.V.P.(monument available for the public eye)
Original intend: Cathedral Church

Main description: This church has five aisles, its main atrium is oriented towards the Main Plaza and a lateral courtyard (Sanctuary), oriented toward the Colegio Tridentino (School). It owns eight paintings of the apostolate, by Juan Correa; a Crucified Christ, by Quirio Cata–o; a stuffed quetzal and a sanctuary made of mother-pearl. An altar-piece type fa�ade, with three roads and three bodies (the third one crumbled up during the earthquake of 1976).This is a monument available for the public eye. The first building dates from 1529, the second one from 1542 and the present one is from 1813.

The front of this temple is unique in Antigua Guatemala, for the niches that are usually located on the sides, in this case do not exist. In its place it has tree pairs of columns supported freely, developed on the first and second bodies. However, of the third body there are only remains.

Type of building: Temple in ruins
Present address: 3a. Avenida Norte entre 2a. y 3a. Calles Oriente
Original address: Calle del Carmen
Presently used as: Ruins
Original intend: Temple

The temple of El Carmen had only one aisle with more than thirteen meters long. The interior of this church must have been splendid, especially its lateral altars that were developed among pilasters, with a very luxurious main altar. In fact, the ceiling of the vestry still preserves an interesting design with molding panels of a considerable size.