Museum of the Ancient Book

It is located on the City Hall in front of Central Park, on the spot where the First Printing-house of the Kingdom of Guatemala was located (1660).

The museum has founded by David Vela and Rigoberto Bran Azmitia on March 16, 1956. Both characters did great efforts to preserve these printed treasures.

This museum is considered one of a kind in Latin America and has three exhibition rooms.

On the first room, the “Introduction of the Press in Guatemala”, you can take a look at a brief review of Gutenberg’s prints, who is credited for inventing the printing press, as well as examples of the first prints done in Guatemala and replicas of the original wooden equipment.

The second room exhibits the engraving technique, the one done in wood, called xylography, as the one that used a stone, denominated lithography. This museum is visited by schools and has stalls so the little ones can take a look at the content of the glass cases.

The last one, the Speckled Paper Room, shows books decorated with the speckled technique. This one consists in giving a special appearance to the texture and shades to the surface.

Of great richness

Its collection is calculated in 2500 documents, many of them donated by families who lived in Antigua Guatemala. It also has the Explicatio Apologetica, which is established as the first printed book in Guatemala.

Location in La Antigua Guatemala Click here and go to the interactive map.

As an excellent formative support center it offers the possibility for educational institutions to request guided tours with support material, as well as reading workshops, conferences, and video projections.

Since light deteriorates ancient paper, the copies are kept in dimmed places; that is why it is forbidden to take pictures with or without flash.

Schedule: Tuesday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 12:00 a.m. and from 2:00 to 5:30 p.m.

* Entrance is free for students wearing a uniform.