Antigua, Guatemala

We visited Antigua last spring as we were leaving Guatemala for the summer, and we were eager to get back. We just finished another inland trip, spending almost a week in Antigua and a few days in Guatemala City.

Antigua is among the world's best conserved colonial cities. It makes you feel time might have stopped some 300 years ago.  Antigua was founded in 1543, and for more than 200 years it served as the seat of the military governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala, which at that time included almost all of present-day Central America and the southernmost part of Mexico.  On September 29, 1717, an estimated 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Antigua Guatemala and destroyed over 3,000 buildings. Much of the city's architecture was ruined. The earthquake's damage to the city led authorities to consider moving the capital to another city.  Then in 1773, the Santa Maria earthquakes destroyed much of the town, prompting a decision to abandon the city and move the capital to a safer location, which is where Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala, now stands. The badly damaged city of Santiago de los Caballeros, the original city, was ordered abandoned. However, not everyone left, and it was thereafter referred to as la Antigua Guatemala (the Old Guatemala).
Antigua is in the mountains, so the climate is generally very comfortable. The surrounding volcanoes have kept Antigua to just about its original size, which is actually quite small. Antigua is very popular for Spanish-language immersion and has around 75 language schools, generally offering one-on-one instruction. Antigua is also a popular tourist destination with a large selection of hotels, ranging from hostels to luxury, and the same holds for restaurants, from fast food (incorporated into the existing architecture) to fine dining.  We like it as a great place to relax, with plenty of places to explore. We will keep returning to Antigua.