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The full name of the city is "La Antigua Guatemala", which means "the old Guatemala". It was founded by the Spanish in 1543 and was the colonial capital for over 200 years. In 1773 it was almost destroyed by an earthquake and the capital was changed to Guatemala City. Most of the buildings in the city were therefore built in the 18th century and Antigua has become famous for its Spanish architecture. In 1979 it was declared a UNESCO world heritage site. The city is surrounded by three volcanoes, Volcan Agua, Volcano Acatenango and Volcano de Fuego (Volcano of Fire). Volcano de Fuego is still active and is constantly smoking. Volcano Acatenango last erupted in 1972. Nowadays, Antigua is famous for its language schools, with over 75 of them in the city, and is a very popular place to study spanish. The city has numerous bars, restaurants and hotels and there are always a large amount of tourists present. It is especially busy over lent and Easter, where every Sunday a religious procession is organised through the streets. Internet is all over town starting from Q 5.00 a hour. All bank services are present in Antigua, and ATMs will offer you Quetzales or US$. At the main square are some banks and ATMs. |
| Guatemala Antigua |
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