Sights

Buildings with Spanish facades, patios and arcades, reconstructed buildings and ruins that tell an important part of Guatemala's history, have made La Antigua Guatemala one of the country's foremost tourist centers. It has kept its original character, preserved its monuments, and has kept its original architectural form intact, as a consequence of which, in 1979, UNESCO declared it a Common Heritage of Mankind.

A few mansions of the Colonial period have been restored. Casa Popenone, at 5a. Calle Oriente and la. Avenida Sur, is a fine example of an elegant home. Others include the House of the Bells and the House of Lions. They all feature colonial architecture, with an austere outer wall that encircles a patio with gardens and fountains in the center. The rooms are located around this beautiful and one of a kind patio.

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Casa Popenoe

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A private home that is open to the public on specified hours is the Casa Popenoe, originally constructed in the first half of the 17th century for don Luís de las Infantas y Mendoza, a Spaniard and judge in the Royal Audiencia. This house had fallen into ruins and was lovingly restored by Dr. Wilson Popenoe and his wife Dorothy in the 1930s. The Popenoes furnished the house with period antiques collected over the years. Like many colonial residences, the home is built right up to the sidewalk and presents massive walls to the public. But the interior is graced with flowered more..

type:	Palaces
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Palace of the Captains-General

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Palace of the Captains General
photo by: Dave Cunningham

For more than two centuries, the seat of Spanish colonial government was the Palace of the Captains-General. Construction was begun on the original building in 1549 and completed in 1558, but the building has been repeatedly reconstructed and altered following damaging earthquakes. In 1735 the Casa de la Moneda (mint) was inaugurated in this large complex. But most of the structure was destroyed in the 1773 quakes that brought the city to its knees. Today the beautiful two-tiered arched façade has been restored, and the building houses government, city police, and INGUAT more..

type:	Palaces
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Casa de los Leones

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Named for the sculptured stone lions rampant flanking the main portal, was built before the 1717 earthquakes. As is typical of the better colonial homes, rooms are arranged around patios. Today the Casa de los Leones has been modified to serve as a hotel, La Posada de don Rodrigo, preserving some original colonial furnishings such as the heavy wooden shutters and doors. A characteristic element of colonial architecture is the corner window, which here opens into the bar of the Posada de don Rodrigo.

type:	Palaces
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