The town of Antigua, also referred as Antigua Guatemala (=Old Guatemala)  or La Antigua, has been for 200 years the wealthy capital of the Spanish province of Guatemala. Don’t think to the former province of Guatemala as a forefather of the today tiny state of Guatemala! The Spanish province of Guatemala stretched from Peru and included the southernmost part of Mexico, the state of Chiapas.

Santa catalina Arch is a landmark for Antigua and its colonial architecture

Santa catalina Arch is a landmark for Antigua and its colonial architecture

Obviously for any visitor, the developpment of Antigua was fully planified. There are churches, avenidas and former administrative buildings which are still nice, imposing and very well preserved, which made from Antigua an UNESCO heritage site.

Antigua was founded in 1524 and reached 60 000 inhabitants in 1770 when a strong earthquake pushed the Spanish administration to move away the capital of Guatemala in the new build Ciudad de Guatemala. In the late XVIIIth century the bulk of the population moved away, but some locals prefered to stay.

Some of the Antiguanos live literally in the past

Some of the Antiguanos live literally in the past. Notice the view of volcanoes in background

Nowadays Antigua reaches only the half of the population of the good glorious times and is a touristic city with a strong colonial flair. From almost any point of the city there are three volcanoes in the sight, and this spectacular view was one of the resons for the Spaniards to settle the capital here in Antigua.

Extremely well preserved colonial churches made Antigua notorious

Extremely well preserved colonial churches made Antigua notorious

The today Antigua is much different from the rest of the country. A special trained and English speaking police force makes Antigua very safe even in the middle of the night. A travel to Antigua could be a romantic getaway, especially if you sleep in Casa Santo Domingo, among the ruins of a catholic covent. There also other good hotels and hostels, modern spas, but the town still keeps away the modernity.

Antigua is very close to Ciudad de Guatemala, the today capital of Guatemala, and has the big advantage to be much safer and more touristy. From Antigua you can reach by bus almost every corner of Guatemala, you can climb the neighboring mountains and watch close the three volcanoes. Don’t miss in Antigua the Central park with its reconstructed fountain, a favorite spot for romantic dating!

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