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Hotel Soleil La Antigua Resort and Conference Center, offers 139 rooms and 41 Suites with views...
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La Antigua
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Description
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Pictures
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Antigua Guatemala (commonly referred to as just Antigua or La Antigua) is a city in the central mountains of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish New World Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruined churches. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Antigua Guatemala serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. It also serves as the departmental capital of Sacatepéquez department.
Antigua Guatemala means the "old city of Guatemala". It was founded on March 10, 1543. and served as Spanish colonial capital of Central America. The conquistadores named the city La Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala ("The Very Noble and Very Loyal City of Santiago of the Knights of Guatemala"), in honor of their patron saint, Santiago, or St. James.
In 1773, it suffered two severe earthquakes, which destroyed much of the town. The Spanish Crown ordered the city rebuilt at a safer location, where what is now Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala. In 1776 the badly damaged city was ordered abandoned, although not everyone left.
Nowadays, Antigua is noted for its very elaborate religious celebrations for the Holy Week leading up to Easter.
There are also many Spanish language schools in the Antigua; it is one of the most popular places in Latin America to study Spanish.
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