Antigua Guatemala (ăntēˈgwə gwätəmäˈlə, Span. äntēˈgwä
gwätāmäˈlä) [key] [Span., = Old Guatemala] or Antigua, town
(1991 pop. 58,114), S central Guatemala. It is the capital of
Sacatepéquez dept. Founded in 1542 by survivors from nearby
Ciudad Vieja, which had been destroyed by a volcanic mud and
debris flow and earthquake, Antigua Guatemala became the third
capital of Spanish Guatemala. In the 17th cent., it flourished
as one of the richest capitals of the New World, rivaling Lima
and Mexico City; by the 18th cent., its population had increased
to c.60,000. Its university was a center of the arts and
learning, and its churches, convents, monasteries, public
buildings, and residences were characterized by massive luxury.
Antigua Guatemala, dominated by the volcanoes Agua (12,310
ft/3,752 m high), Acatenango (12,982 ft/3,957 m high), and Fuego
(12,854 ft/3,918 m high), was continually subject to disaster
from volcanic eruptions, floods, and earthquakes. In 1773 a
series of earthquakes leveled the city, and the