Colonial jewel ringed by volcanoes — cobblestones, earthquake ruins, jade workshops, and the finest coffee in the Americas
Antigua Guatemala (formally La Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala) was the capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala — the colonial administrative region covering all of Central America and southern Mexico — for over two centuries, before a catastrophic earthquake in 1773 (the Santa Marta earthquakes) caused the Spanish colonial government to abandon it for a new capital (modern Guatemala City, 45 km east). The ruins they left behind — the baroque facades of earthquake-toppled churches, the open cloisters, the ruined convents — became the distinguishing feature o…
Antigua was founded in 1543 as the third capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala (after two earlier sites were abandoned after earthquake and flood) and served as the colonial capital for 233 years. At its 18th-century peak it was one of the most important cities in the New World — home to a university (founded 1676), printing presses, convents, and baroque churches financed by the colonial export economy of indigo, cocoa, and silver. The Santa Marta earthquakes of 1773 destroyed much of the city and prompted the government's relocation order, but many residents refused to leave, and the city slo…