ANTIGUA
The Cultural Mecca of Central America
During the Spanish colonial period, ANTIGUA was for 230 years the capital of Central America, a territory that extended itself from Chiapas (in South East Mexico) down to Costa Rica.
Soon after the start of the Spanish conquest in the 16th Century, more than a dozen different religious orders came from Spain to found their respective convents and monasteries, emulating each other to build the most beautiful religious monuments. Around that time the building of both the Cathedral of San Jose and the University of St. Carlos was started, turning Antigua into a prosperous religious and socio-political center until the almost the end of the 18th Century.
Unfortunately in 1773 a major earthquake demolished the city, leading to the transfer of the capital to the present day Guatemala City. This event turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because for the two remaining centuries Antigua remained a small sleepy town, exempt of overpopulation and its uncontrolled urban development.
Thanks to its Conservation Council, Antigua is a splendid example of conservation of historic landmarks and has been designated as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
Today Antigua is world renowned for for the creativity of its artists and artisans, beautifully displayed in the many different shops, art galleries or inner patios of old colonial homes.
For all these reasons, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) recently chose Antigua as the best cultural destination of the world.
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For photos of ANTIGUA see Fotos de Guatemala and Antigua Daily Photo.com
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