CAMINANDO por las calles de ANTIGUA GUATEMALA

I traveled to the most beautiful city in Guatemala. Antigua, capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala, was founded in the early 16th century. Built 1,500 meters above sea level in a seismic region, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773, but its main monuments still stand in ruins. In less than three centuries, the city, built on a grid inspired by the Italian Renaissance, acquired a number of magnificent monuments. Antigua Guatemala was the cultural, economic, religious, political, and educational center of the entire region until the capital was moved. In less than three centuries, the city acquired numerous magnificent monuments. The pattern of straight lines established by the north-south and east-west grid of streets, inspired by the Italian Renaissance, is one of the best examples of Latin American urban planning and is all that remains of the 16th-century city. Most of the surviving civil, religious, and civic buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries and are magnificent examples of American colonial architecture. These buildings reflect a regional stylistic variation known as Early Baroque. Distinctive features of this architectural style include the use of decorative stucco for interior and exterior ornamentation, main facades with a central window niche and often a deeply carved pediment, massive buildings, and low bell towers designed to withstand the region's frequent earthquakes. Among the many significant historical buildings are the Palace of the Captains General, the Mint, the Cathedral, the University of San Carlos, Las Capuchinas, La Merced, and Santa Clara, among others. The city remained virtually abandoned for almost a century until the mid-19th century, when increased agricultural production, particularly of coffee and grains, attracted new investment to the region. The original urban center is small, measuring approximately 775 meters from north to south and 635 meters from east to west, covering an area of ​​49.57 hectares. Criterion (ii): Antigua Guatemala contains living vestiges of Spanish culture, with its main monuments, built in the 18th-century Baroque style, now preserved in ruins. Antigua Guatemala was a center for the export of religious images and statues to the rest of the Americas and to Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries. Criterion (iii): Antigua Guatemala is one of the oldest and most outstanding examples of urban planning in Latin America, where the basic grid plan, dating from 1543, has been preserved. Its religious, private, and governmental buildings are outstanding evidence of Spanish colonial architecture in Antigua. Criterion (iv): The numerous churches and monasteries of Antigua Guatemala testify to the influence of the Christian church, during the colonial period, on all aspects of daily life in the city. Early Baroque developed in this area, a regional adaptation of the Baroque style designed to withstand the earthquakes common in the region. Authenticity Due to the partial abandonment of the city in 1776 and regulations prohibiting the repair and construction of new buildings, the 16th-century Renaissance grid and the monumental Baroque-style buildings and ruins have survived, along with cobblestone streets, squares with fountains, and domestic architecture. While some of the original residences have been fully restored, new construction in recent years has followed a Neocolonial or "Antigua-style" aesthetic, which compromises the authenticity of the area. Additional concerns relate to new developments that have been inserted into existing ruins. For example, the modern hotel (Casa Santo Domingo) was built within the ruins of the Santo Domingo church and monastery, which also affects the form and function of the buildings. The adaptive reuse of historic buildings, driven by the pressures of tourism development, is also a cause for concern that must be addressed through the application of regulations and the development of appropriate conservation guidelines.