La Antigua Guatemala is a beautiful colonial city of about 30,000 people that lies forty-five kilometers west of Guatemala City. Three volcanoes, Agua, Acatenango and Fuego surround the city, and the occasional smoke and lava flow from Fuego’s peak is a reminder of the geological activity that has affected the city for hundreds of years.

In addition to the historic architecture Antigua is notable for its vibrant colours. The traditional embroidered and woven clothing, the painted walls of the buildings and the tropical flowering plants fill your eyes with colour.

The city of La Antigua Guatemala dates back to 1543 when it became the conquistadores third capital in Central America after Santiago de Guatemala was destroyed by a mudslide. The city received the name of its two predecessors, and became the third la Ciudad de Santiago de Caballeros de Guatemala a name it retained until 1774. However the new capital suffered frequent earthquakes and eventually after a series of earthquakes severely damaged the city in 1773, the Captain General ordered the capital to be abandoned in 1774. He chose a location in the Valley of La Ermita for the region’s fourth post-conquest capital, and gave it the name La Nueva Guatemala de la Asuncion (Guatemala City). From then onwards Santiago de Guatemala became known as La Antigua Guatemala (the Ancient Guatemala) and today it is more commonly known as La Antigua, or just Antigua.

Ironically it was this very edict to abandon the city that lead to its preservation. For nearly four years after the proclamation the population resisted moving but in 1777 the government threatened to leveled the city and they were forced to leave. For the next few years mules carried gates, windows, beams, statues, pictures, altars, tiles, furniture, ornaments and artwork across the mountains to La Nueva Guatemala. Private homes and churches were stripped to furnish buildings in the new capital. What could be moved was moved. The Captain General even wanted to dismantle his palace but fortunately the mules could not carry the load.

Although the city was not leveled, it remained abandoned until around 1830 when coffee was introduced into the area. By then the government had lost interest in the abandoned city and people began to move back. When they did so it was easier to renovate the old houses than build new ones. New life flooded into the old colonial streets and there was a revival of the old buildings. Although the request to rebuild the city according to original plans was denied work went on nevertheless. By the end of the 19th century the Cathedral, City Hall Palace, Palace of the Captains General, La Merced Church and the Santa Catalina Arch had been restored.

As the 20th century arrived people became concerned that colonial structures were being destroyed. Thanks largely to the efforts of architectural historian Verle L Annis, Antigua became one of the first colonial cities in Latin America to become a national monument. In 1965 the General Assembly of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History declared Antigua a Monumental City of the Americas. In 1979 UNESCO declared Antigua a World Heritage Site.

By today’s standards La Antigua is a small city that covers ten by ten blocks. Because of its bizarre history the city remains very much like it was in the 18th century before it was abandoned. As in colonial days, life in Antigua revolves around the central plaza. Today an attractive park fills the centre of the plaza where tourists sit beneath the jacaranda trees, and Mayan women walk around selling their wares. Fanning out from the central plaza the cobbled calles run west-east and the avenidas run north-south. It is an easy walk from our hotel to the plaza and our hospital base is just 2 blocks from the square . At least thirty churches, convents and monasteries lurk on corners and behind gates. There are many historic buildings to explore and interesting shops and markets to keep you occupied when you are not working.