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The city of Santiago de los Caballeros had three settlements: In 1524, it was founded in Iximché, in the place called Tecpán Goathemalán. In 1527, it was moved to the Almolonga Valley, becoming the permanent settlement of the first capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala, which was devastated by a current of water and earth that descended from the Agua Volcano. Currently, that place is known as Old City.
 
 
The Agua Volcano is located between the departments of Escuintla, Sacatepéquez and Guatemala.
 
Due to the intense rains in the region, the water accumulated in its crater overflowed and caused a flood, between September 10 and 11, 1541, which destroyed the second seat of the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.
 
Agua Volcano, south-west of the city


 
That natural disaster caused the transfer of the city to the Panchoy Valley, where the new city was founded on March 10, 1543, being the second capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala. According to history, the City Council authorized that the new city also be named Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, in honor of Santiago Apóstol, patron of the city and the Spanish conquistadors; also establishing that in commemoration of the solemnity of its patron saint, on July 25 of each year, gunpowder would be burned and the Royal Banner - pavilion - of the king of Spain would be carried out in procession. That festival was considered one of spiritual recollection.




Currently, this city is known as La Antigua Guatemala, and it is located 45 kilometers from the capital city, in the Department of Sacatepéquez. The patron saint's day, by tradition, is celebrated on the indicated day and cultural and spiritual events are held. Every July 25, a high council mass is celebrated in the Cathedral, which today is known as Parroquia de San José Catedral. Later, at four in the afternoon, an image of the patron saint goes out in procession on a processional platform with a beautiful allegory: "James, friend of Jesus Christ."
 
This processional procession is led by images of angels, flags of Guatemala and the colonial city, representing, in this way, the route that Santiago the Apostle traveled from his city to Spain, where he established the preaching of the Gospel. After the return of that procession to the Parish of San José Cathedral, a popular music concert is scheduled in the central plaza. Mechanical games are installed in the fields of "La Pólvora" as part of the festivity.
 
The Palace of the Captains General, built in 1558, was the headquarters of the Audiencia de los Confines, which administered matters related to the provinces of the regions from Chiapas and Soconusco, to Costa Rica. There were also the treasury offices and the courts of justice; In addition, it had rooms for notaries and notaries.
 
Palace of the Captains General


The Captain General resided there. In addition, there was a place for the Spanish guard and militia. Currently, the frontispiece of the Palace of the Captains General is completely refurbished.
 
The seismic movements that occurred on different dates were important in the history of colonial architecture, especially in the 18th century when the earthquakes of San Miguel in 1717, San Casimiro in 1751 and finally Santa Marta in 1773 occurred, which forced the abandonment of the Panchoy Valley. . It was between the years 1717 and 1773 when the greatest flowering of colonial architecture in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros developed.
 
The original City Hall building was repaired after the earthquake of 1717. In 1740, a new building was built in the same place, adding a room for the Council sessions. It suffered little damage during the earthquake in 1773, but was abandoned in the same year. It was rehabilitated until 1853.
 




 
Currently, the offices of the Municipality of La Antigua Guatemala are located in this building.
 
City Hall Palace


 
In one of the rooms of the City Hall Palace, there is a niche where a Book of Minutes of the Mayor's Office of La Antigua Guatemala is kept, in which there is a Minute by which the Municipal Council of that Mayor's Office appointed “Perpetual Honorary Mayor ” to Holy Brother Peter.
Council Minutes Book


Municipality of Antigua Guatemala


In the aforementioned Minutes, the following was recorded:
 
"Let it be recorded for posterity that Holy Brother Pedro de Bethancourth was in this City Hall in Image and Spirit, on April 24 of the year of Grace of the Lord, 2008, in which he was declared "Perpetual Honorary Mayor" of the City from Santiago de Los Caballeros, today: "La Antigua Guatemala".


 
In colonial times, the basins or fountains were used to supply water to the population, using them mainly as communal laundries and to water pack animals. Currently, these fountains serve as ornament, so their value is artistic.
 
In 1739, the Fountain of the Mermaids was built in the Plaza Mayor. Currently, said fountain is modified and the sirens were restored since the originals suffered some damage; However, it is the greatest attraction of the place.
 
Fountain of the Sirens in the
Plaza Mayor (Central Park);
in the background, Cathedral
 
  
In 1853, a public laundry was inaugurated, which is currently known as the Union Tank, where some people still come to wash; which allows us to imagine the activity that was carried out in that distant time.
 
This Tank was rebuilt in 1979 and has been preserved to this day.
 
Its name originated in recognition of the "Unionist Congress of Central America" ??that took place in Guatemala in 1925.
 
Union Tank


This Tank is located in the Parque de la Unión, and is an important landmark, located in front of the ruins of the Temple and Convent of Santa Clara.
 
 
Union Park
After the city was destroyed by the earthquake that occurred in 1773, the Capital of the Kingdom was moved and founded in the Valle de la Ermita, in 1776, with the name of the New Guatemala of the Asunción. Despite the prevailing ruin, the neighborhood refused to abandon the ancient city. By Order of the Court of Guatemala, on April 7, 1799, the city known as Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala was officially named Antigua Guatemala.
 




 
The colonial city was populated again but very slowly and without losing its traditional appearance, its cobbled streets were preserved, the residential houses did not vary in their interior and exterior appearance, tile prevailing as roofing material.
 
Street in Antigua Guatemala;
in the background, the Agua Volcano


 
 
 
The most important buildings were preserved in their ruined state, evidencing their majesty amidst the later constructions.
 
Street in front of the ruins of La Concepción,
towards the exit of Antigua Guatemala
 






 
The influence exerted by the Spanish culture of that colonial era gave rise to several religious traditions that are still present in Antigua Guatemala today.
 
One of these traditions is the solemn and festive celebration in honor of Santiago Apóstol, which among other activities includes a processional route, on July 25 of each year, as it has been carried out for several years now.
 
Upon arriving in Antigua Guatemala, you enter through the Puente del Matasano, where Pedro de Betancur (Saint Brother Peter) knelt and kissed the ground upon his arrival, on February 18, 1651. In this place there is a sculpture on its memory.
 




 
This is the moment to feel the spirit of Holy Brother Peter who gives this colonial city a unique mystique of fraternal welcome, prayer, charity and religiosity.
 
Matasano Bridge


The values ??of this city are collected and assumed by the holy figure of Brother Pedro; the stones felt his walk, his blood was watered on them, whether by his long walks visiting the sick, convalescents and helpless, or by his nocturnal Via Crucis with a heavy beaded Cross along the Calle de la Amargura, currently, Calle de los Steps.
 
The ruins of the convents, monasteries and churches, the museums, the beautiful and artistic vigils and processions of Lent and Holy Week, the solemn festivities of Corpus Christi (Body and Blood of Christ); as well as the Eucharistic Via Crucis, the celebrations in honor of Santiago Apóstol, and the religiosity of the faithful believers in the Chapel of the True Cross of the Temple of San Francisco, where the Sepulcher of the Holy Brother Peter is located, allow us to consider La Antigua Guatemala as a mystical city.
 
Among the temples and churches frequently visited by parishioners are: Iglesia de la Merced; Temple of San Francisco, Sanctuary of Holy Brother Peter; Cathedral; Temple of the School of Christ; and Hermitage of the Holy Calvary. Also, the Church of San Pedro Apóstol and Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro, an entity dedicated to charity and human promotion, as a living spirit of the work of charity carried out by the now Holy Brother Pedro of San José Betancur.
 
Likewise, it is important to mention Posada Belén (a place known in ancient times as the Hospital and Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem), currently managed by the Bethlemite Sisters and which is used for spiritual retreats. In the ruins of said Hospital is the place where Brother Pedro gave his soul to the Lord, on April 25, 1667.
 
Posada Belén is located in front of Plaza a la Paz, dedicated in 1983 to the Beatification of Brother Pedro. On one side is the Belén School and the Beatas de Belén Church.


Among the main ruins open to the public we can mention: Convento de la Merced; Convent of San Francisco; Cathedral; Church and Convent of the Recolección; San Jerónimo College; Church and Convent of the Capuchinas, which are the best preserved ruins of the colonial city; as well as the Temple and Convent of Santa Clara, whose temple preserves one of the most beautiful facades from the colonial era.
 
The Arco de Santa Catalina is one of the most recognized and admired places in the colonial city. It is located on Calle del Arco (between 1st Calle Poniente and 2nd Calle Poniente), one of the busiest, as it is a place for pedestrian walks where different cultural activities and outdoor festivities take place.
 
In the image, you can see that arched bridge built in 1694 by the Order of Saint Catherine the Martyr. To the right, you can see the ruins of the church that belonged to the same Order.
 
Arch of Santa Catalina, seen towards the south
 






 
The city of La Antigua Guatemala has been granted different recognitions, including:
 
Declared as a National Monument, according to Decree 2772 of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Guatemala, on March 30, 1944.
 
Declared a Monument City of America, according to the Resolution of the VIII General Assembly of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History, on July 7, 1965.
 
Declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in the Convention held by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -UNESCO-, on October 26, 1979.







The city of Santiago de los Caballeros had three settlements: In 1524, it was founded in Iximché, in the place called Tecpán Goathemalán. In 1527, it was moved to the Almolonga Valley, becoming the permanent settlement of the first capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala, which was devastated by a current of water and earth that descended from the Agua Volcano. Currently, that place is known as Old City.
 
 
The Agua Volcano is located between the departments of Escuintla, Sacatepéquez and Guatemala.
 
Due to the intense rains in the region, the water accumulated in its crater overflowed and caused a flood, between September 10 and 11, 1541, which destroyed the second seat of the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.
 
Agua Volcano, south-west of the city


 
That natural disaster caused the transfer of the city to the Panchoy Valley, where the new city was founded on March 10, 1543, being the second capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala. According to history, the City Council authorized that the new city also be named Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, in honor of Santiago Apóstol, patron of the city and the Spanish conquistadors; also establishing that in commemoration of the solemnity of its patron saint, on July 25 of each year, gunpowder would be burned and the Royal Banner - pavilion - of the king of Spain would be carried out in procession. That festival was considered one of spiritual recollection.




Currently, this city is known as La Antigua Guatemala, and it is located 45 kilometers from the capital city, in the Department of Sacatepéquez. The patron saint's day, by tradition, is celebrated on the indicated day and cultural and spiritual events are held. Every July 25, a high council mass is celebrated in the Cathedral, which today is known as Parroquia de San José Catedral. Later, at four in the afternoon, an image of the patron saint goes out in procession on a processional platform with a beautiful allegory: "James, friend of Jesus Christ."
 
This processional procession is led by images of angels, flags of Guatemala and the colonial city, representing, in this way, the route that Santiago the Apostle traveled from his city to Spain, where he established the preaching of the Gospel. After the return of that procession to the Parish of San José Cathedral, a popular music concert is scheduled in the central plaza. Mechanical games are installed in the fields of "La Pólvora" as part of the festivity.
 
The Palace of the Captains General, built in 1558, was the headquarters of the Audiencia de los Confines, which administered matters related to the provinces of the regions from Chiapas and Soconusco, to Costa Rica. There were also the treasury offices and the courts of justice; In addition, it had rooms for notaries and notaries.
 
Palace of the Captains General


The Captain General resided there. In addition, there was a place for the Spanish guard and militia. Currently, the frontispiece of the Palace of the Captains General is completely refurbished.
 
The seismic movements that occurred on different dates were important in the history of colonial architecture, especially in the 18th century when the earthquakes of San Miguel in 1717, San Casimiro in 1751 and finally Santa Marta in 1773 occurred, which forced the abandonment of the Panchoy Valley. . It was between the years 1717 and 1773 when the greatest flowering of colonial architecture in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros developed.
 
The original City Hall building was repaired after the earthquake of 1717. In 1740, a new building was built in the same place, adding a room for the Council sessions. It suffered little damage during the earthquake in 1773, but was abandoned in the same year. It was rehabilitated until 1853.
 




 
Currently, the offices of the Municipality of La Antigua Guatemala are located in this building.
 
City Hall Palace


 
In one of the rooms of the City Hall Palace, there is a niche where a Book of Minutes of the Mayor's Office of La Antigua Guatemala is kept, in which there is a Minute by which the Municipal Council of that Mayor's Office appointed “Perpetual Honorary Mayor ” to Holy Brother Peter.
Council Minutes Book


Municipality of Antigua Guatemala


In the aforementioned Minutes, the following was recorded:
 
"Let it be recorded for posterity that Holy Brother Pedro de Bethancourth was in this City Hall in Image and Spirit, on April 24 of the year of Grace of the Lord, 2008, in which he was declared "Perpetual Honorary Mayor" of the City from Santiago de Los Caballeros, today: "La Antigua Guatemala".


 
In colonial times, the basins or fountains were used to supply water to the population, using them mainly as communal laundries and to water pack animals. Currently, these fountains serve as ornament, so their value is artistic.
 
In 1739, the Fountain of the Mermaids was built in the Plaza Mayor. Currently, said fountain is modified and the sirens were restored since the originals suffered some damage; However, it is the greatest attraction of the place.
 
Fountain of the Sirens in the
Plaza Mayor (Central Park);
in the background, Cathedral
 
  
In 1853, a public laundry was inaugurated, which is currently known as the Union Tank, where some people still come to wash; which allows us to imagine the activity that was carried out in that distant time.
 
This Tank was rebuilt in 1979 and has been preserved to this day.
 
Its name originated in recognition of the "Unionist Congress of Central America" ??that took place in Guatemala in 1925.
 
Union Tank


This Tank is located in the Parque de la Unión, and is an important landmark, located in front of the ruins of the Temple and Convent of Santa Clara.
 
 
Union Park
After the city was destroyed by the earthquake that occurred in 1773, the Capital of the Kingdom was moved and founded in the Valle de la Ermita, in 1776, with the name of the New Guatemala of the Asunción. Despite the prevailing ruin, the neighborhood refused to abandon the ancient city. By Order of the Court of Guatemala, on April 7, 1799, the city known as Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala was officially named Antigua Guatemala.
 




 
The colonial city was populated again but very slowly and without losing its traditional appearance, its cobbled streets were preserved, the residential houses did not vary in their interior and exterior appearance, tile prevailing as roofing material.
 
Street in Antigua Guatemala;
in the background, the Agua Volcano


 
 
 
The most important buildings were preserved in their ruined state, evidencing their majesty amidst the later constructions.
 
Street in front of the ruins of La Concepción,
towards the exit of Antigua Guatemala
 






 
The influence exerted by the Spanish culture of that colonial era gave rise to several religious traditions that are still present in Antigua Guatemala today.
 
One of these traditions is the solemn and festive celebration in honor of Santiago Apóstol, which among other activities includes a processional route, on July 25 of each year, as it has been carried out for several years now.
 
Upon arriving in Antigua Guatemala, you enter through the Puente del Matasano, where Pedro de Betancur (Saint Brother Peter) knelt and kissed the ground upon his arrival, on February 18, 1651. In this place there is a sculpture on its memory.
 




 
This is the moment to feel the spirit of Holy Brother Peter who gives this colonial city a unique mystique of fraternal welcome, prayer, charity and religiosity.
 
Matasano Bridge


The values ??of this city are collected and assumed by the holy figure of Brother Pedro; the stones felt his walk, his blood was watered on them, whether by his long walks visiting the sick, convalescents and helpless, or by his nocturnal Via Crucis with a heavy beaded Cross along the Calle de la Amargura, currently, Calle de los Steps.
 
The ruins of the convents, monasteries and churches, the museums, the beautiful and artistic vigils and processions of Lent and Holy Week, the solemn festivities of Corpus Christi (Body and Blood of Christ); as well as the Eucharistic Via Crucis, the celebrations in honor of Santiago Apóstol, and the religiosity of the faithful believers in the Chapel of the True Cross of the Temple of San Francisco, where the Sepulcher of the Holy Brother Peter is located, allow us to consider La Antigua Guatemala as a mystical city.
 
Among the temples and churches frequently visited by parishioners are: Iglesia de la Merced; Temple of San Francisco, Sanctuary of Holy Brother Peter; Cathedral; Temple of the School of Christ; and Hermitage of the Holy Calvary. Also, the Church of San Pedro Apóstol and Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro, an entity dedicated to charity and human promotion, as a living spirit of the work of charity carried out by the now Holy Brother Pedro of San José Betancur.
 
Likewise, it is important to mention Posada Belén (a place known in ancient times as the Hospital and Church of Our Lady of Bethlehem), currently managed by the Bethlemite Sisters and which is used for spiritual retreats. In the ruins of said Hospital is the place where Brother Pedro gave his soul to the Lord, on April 25, 1667.
 
Posada Belén is located in front of Plaza a la Paz, dedicated in 1983 to the Beatification of Brother Pedro. On one side is the Belén School and the Beatas de Belén Church.


Among the main ruins open to the public we can mention: Convento de la Merced; Convent of San Francisco; Cathedral; Church and Convent of the Recolección; San Jerónimo College; Church and Convent of the Capuchinas, which are the best preserved ruins of the colonial city; as well as the Temple and Convent of Santa Clara, whose temple preserves one of the most beautiful facades from the colonial era.
 
The Arco de Santa Catalina is one of the most recognized and admired places in the colonial city. It is located on Calle del Arco (between 1st Calle Poniente and 2nd Calle Poniente), one of the busiest, as it is a place for pedestrian walks where different cultural activities and outdoor festivities take place.
 
In the image, you can see that arched bridge built in 1694 by the Order of Saint Catherine the Martyr. To the right, you can see the ruins of the church that belonged to the same Order.
 
Arch of Santa Catalina, seen towards the south
 






 
The city of La Antigua Guatemala has been granted different recognitions, including:
 
Declared as a National Monument, according to Decree 2772 of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Guatemala, on March 30, 1944.
 
Declared a Monument City of America, according to the Resolution of the VIII General Assembly of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History, on July 7, 1965.
 
Declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in the Convention held by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization -UNESCO-, on October 26, 1979.

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