ANTIGUA GUATEMALA

capital, Sacatepquez department, southwestern Guatemala, at an altitude of 5,029 ft (1,533 m). Capital of the former captaincy general, Antigua Guatemala was once the most important seat of Spanish colonial government between Mexico City and Lima, Peru. Founded as Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala in 1527, it was destroyed by an eruption that swept down from the slopes of Volcn de Agua. The village that became reestablished on the site came to be called Ciudad Vieja (old city). Another capital city with the name Santiago was constructed in 1542 near the site of Ciudad Vieja, and it became a thriving political, economic, and cultural centre of some 60,000 persons. When Santiago was demolished by an earthquake in 1773, the capital was moved 15 mi (24 km) to the site of Nueva Guatemala (new Guatemala), the modern Guatemala City, and Santiago became known as Antigua Guatemala (Guatemala of old), or Antigua. Antigua Guatemala is noted chiefly for the ruins of colonial edifices that make it a museum of Spanish colonial history. On or near the central plaza, several of the principal buildings of the colonial capital still serve public functions; and scattered throughout the city are numerous ruins of religious structures and rebuilt private dwellings. Antigua Guatemala has several modern hotels situated in quiet, picturesque surroundings. The grandeur of its setting at the base of towering volcanoes and its benign climate make the city a favourite resort and residential site. The annual Holy Week festival is one of the best known in the country. A paved highway connects the town with Guatemala City. Pop. (1981 prelim.) mun., 27,014.