"Antigua, the colonial ..." a Antigua Guatemala Travel Page by euzkadi

This beautiful colonial city was founded in 1543 by Juan Bautista Antonelli in the Valley of Panchoy and was the capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala. It was one of the main colonial cities of the Spanish Crown in America, but after the big earthquake of 1773 the capital was moved to a safer place, the Valley of La Ermita were the Nueva Guatemala de la Asuncion (the actual capital) was founded. The city was declared World heritage Site in 1979. This is the main reason why the city is so well preserved; the city has great colonial buildings and churches, impressive ruins, and some of the best hotels and restaurants in the area.