Brief SynthesisBuilt 1,530.17 m above sea level in an earthquake-prone region, Antigua Guatemala, the capital of the Captaincy-General of Guatemala, was founded in 1524 as Santiago de Guatemala. Some residents stayed behind in the original town, however, which became referred to as “La Antigua Guatemala”. Antigua Guatemala was the cultural, economic, religious, political and educational centre for the entire region until the capital was moved. Antigua Guatemala was a centre for the exportation of religious images and statues to the rest of the American continent and to Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries. The establishment of the “National Council for the Protection of Antigua Guatemala” in 1972 created an institution responsible for this protection and restoration of the city’s monuments.