In 1524 Captain Don Pedro de Alvarado had already conquered several provinces and continuing on that matter he reached the land denominated by the Mexicans as Almolonga, which means “water springs”.

For its beauty, the place amazed the Spaniards who decided to establish around 1524 under the name of Santiago de los Caballeros. This valley had the imposing view of the Agua Volcano, a privileged climate, peaceful rivers at a short distance and beautiful landscapes.

The history of the city is marked by continuous tragedies that besieged its settlers one after the other.

In 1538 a fire left a permanent pattern which would mark the beginning of a series of sad events. In 1541 the news arrived about the death of Don Pedro de Alvarado. Beatriz de la Cueva, his wife who was now a widow, cried constantly the death of her husband and for such sadness she was called “The Unfortunate”. After a short time she requests the post as Governor of Guatemala, accepting the position that same year on September 9. But ironically, two days later on September 11, a terrible storm frees the anger of the Agua Volcano, which floods the city with a stream of mud, taking away the life of many, one of which was the newly named governor.

It was founded as city in 1543, turning into one of the most important in the continent, since it was constituted as the Capital of the Kingdom, which included Mesoamerica, which is what today is known as Chiapas and Soconusco (now Mexico), Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

The Legendary Agua Volcano

The struggle between the conquerors and the native inhabitants of the region is undeniable, since the last ones were constantly abused by the Spaniards. Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, recognized fighter of the rights of indigenous made accusations of their acts before the Spanish court, leaving a serious precedent over the sufferings of the original inhabitants.

The legend of the volcano starts with the joy of the Spaniards, celebrating the arrival of the rain. The indigenous did not share such joy, since they were bound to work under the unpleasant weather.

Five complete days passed by and the rain did not ceased. The native elders announced that it was due to the anger of the Hunapu Volcano, for the cruel treatment to its people, and with almost prophetic words they said the punishment would soon arrived to the governor and her helpers.

Powerful uproar came from the giant and at three o’clock in the morning a strong current of mud, water and stones descended through the skirts of the volcano over the city, destroying buildings and taking the lives of many victims.



Among religious and artists

The Colonial City was the ground for many diverse religious orders that arrived to Guatemala in order to evangelize the natives. The wonderful temples are vestiges of their obstinacy and continuous work, since several of these buildings had to be rebuilt in different occasions due to the earthquakes that stroke the city.

It is usually said that visiting the churches is how someone is able to see the heyday of art in one region, since its architecture and decoration demonstrate the best of each era; and in fact, years of architectonic history left unerasable imprints due to the different used styles, which enrich the variety found in La Antigua.

Ruins at the end of the Convent of La Recolección

City Transfer

The Santa Marta earthquakes caused severe damages to the buildings on February 12, 1689. On July 29, 1773 a new earthquake destroyed the city, and finally, an order was issued to transfer the capital city to the Valley of La Ermita, in spite of dissatisfaction from the inhabitants. In 1775 the Crown approved the transfer and the old city began to be called “La Antigua Guatemala” (The Ancient Guatemala).

The inhabitants were so attached to the city, that as several chronicles describe, it was necessary to demolish certain key sections of the structures, not only as a safety measure for the closer settlers, but also to discourage the desire of rebuilding it. Many religious temples were also affected by this measure.

However, in spite of the transfer of thousands of persons towards the new capital city, the inhabitants that rested in the ancient city dedicated to the task, little by little, of recovering the beauty of the buildings, which previously had been a banner of the local architecture.

After a long period of years on which they continued the maintenance tasks, and to the joy of those who are called today “antigüeños”, La Antigua Guatemala was declared National Monument on March 30, 1944. Twenty-one years later, on July 1965 it was declared Monument City of America by the VIII General Assembly of the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History.

In November 1979 the Colonial City is declared World Cultural and Natural Patrimony of UNESCO, transforming before the eyes of the world in a recognized treasure of humanity.