Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Its name means “the old Guatemala,” and this is in fact what it is. The former capital of
Guatemalawasdestroyedbyanearthquakein1773.Ratherthanrebuild,thecountry'saris-
tocracyoptedforafreshstartintheneighboringValleyoftheHermitage,thecurrentsiteof
Guatemala City. And so, by decree, the city and its inhabitants moved on. Still, some An-
tigueños stayed behind, choosing to live among the ruins, coffee farms, verdant hillsides,
and sentinel volcanoes. The city's colonial architecture was maintained, as there were no
