Architecture of Guatemala
Tikal
Guatemala's earliest architecture is still in excellent
condition as the Mayans left behind one of their greatest monuments in the city
of Tikal. This city in the jungle was one of the Mayan Empire's greatest cities
and to this day is a great example of Mayan architecture as well as a popular tourist
destination. Other than this city and numerous smaller Mayan ruins in the country,
there is little pre-Columbian architecture in the country as most early architecture
was made from wood and has not lasted.
Capuchin Monastery
The Spanish arrived in the 1500s and they immediately developed
new architectural styles and city planning. Their houses were built primarily from
adobe, which the indigenous people used before Spanish arrival, and Spanish churches
were generally in the style of churches built in Spain at the time. Most noticeably
though is the urban planning the Spanish implemented as nearly every colonial city
is on a grid pattern with a central square dominated by a church and government
buildings. The most developed colonial Spanish city is probably the capital of Guatemala
City and the National Palace on the central square is perhaps the finest colonial
building in the country.