Antigua Guatemala ( means "Ancient Guatemala") - the capital of colonial Guatemala, located at an altitude of 1533 meters. The first settlement here, the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, was founded by the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado in 1527. In 1542, the original settlement was destroyed by a mudflow during the eruption of the Agua volcano (now there is the village of Ciudad Vieja, or "old town"). The provincial capital was moved to its new location, which is now occupied by Antigua de Guatemala.
The city often suffered from earthquakes. In 1773 the city was almost completely destroyed by a powerful earthquake. After that, the capital was moved to New Guatemala, founded 24 km from the old city.