COMPARATIVE TABLE OF GUATEMALA AND ANTIGUA

GUATEMALA ANCIENT

Guatemala, officially known as the Republic The city of Santiago de los Caballeros de
of Guatemala, is a sovereign nation on the Guatemala, whose official and historical
Central American continent, whose territory name is Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de
was part of ancient Mesoamerica, one of the Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala
cradles of civilization, and birthplace of the and popularly currently called Antigua
Mayan and Olmec cultures. Guatemala, is the head of the municipality of
the same name and the department of
Like many Central American nations, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala; It is located
Guatemala combines the historical heritage of approximately 25 kilometers west of the
the Spanish colony with the remnants of pre- capital of the Republic of Guatemala, and at
Columbian civilizations that emerged in an altitude of 1470 meters above sea level.
ancient times. Currently the city is located within the 20
most important cities in Guatemala.
Its territory, mostly mountainous, is rich in
biotic reserves and has great ecological During the colonial era it was known as
beauty, in addition to being a reservoir of "Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala",
numerous important archaeological niches. and it was the capital of the Captaincy
General of Guatemala, between 1541 and
Its population, mostly mestizo and 1776, the year in which the capital was
indigenous, faces important challenges transferred to the city of Nueva Guatemala
inherited from its history of dictatorships, de la Asunción after that the Santa Marta
revolutions and a Civil War, as well as earthquakes ruined the city for the third time
significant margins of poverty and economic in the same century3 and the civil authorities
inequality. used that as an excuse to weaken the
The territory of Guatemala is mostly ecclesiastical authorities - following the
mountainous, especially from Northwest to recommendations of the Bourbon Reforms
Southwest, where it has a chain of plateaus undertaken by the Spanish crown in the
known as the Guatemalan Highlands. second half of the century xviii—4 forcing
The maximum height of the region is the the regular orders to move from their
Sierra Madre, with abundant volcanoes such majestic convents to fragile temporary
as Tajumulco (4,220 meters above sea level) structures in the new city.
and Tacaná (4,092 meters above sea level),
the highest in the subcontinent.

Despite its small size, the country has a very

high biodiversity and abundance of biomes
(7), which range from beaches on the Pacific
coast to low plains and mountain ranges.