As it was in bygone days, Plaza Mayor is still Antigua 's beating heart today. Its arcades are the site of constant bustle orchestrated by shopkeepers and street peddlars selling their wares. A gentle cacophony at the foot of the town hall, the Pala..

Casa Popenoe, named after its owners, gives visitors a glimpse of the splendour of the colonial era (17C). It has been painstakingly restored: note the period furniture and interior courtyards embellished with fountains. A relaxing place that makes f..

The Convento de Santa Clara (1699), formerly occupied by some fifty nuns, now stands in ruins. The ambulatory of the two-tiered cloisters is a lovely, serene place for a stroll. Take a look at the Baroque façade of the adjoining church.

Despite the devastation wrought by past earthquakes, the ruins of the Convento de Las Capuchinas (18C) give an insight into the austerity of the lives led by the monks of the Capuchins Order. The sparse cells set around the Torre del Retiro and the a..

The two devastating earthquakes that hit Antigua in 1717 and 1773 destroyed this monastery and church complex. The ruins, which include a majestic, still-intact arch, lend the place a romantic atmosphere.