The Church Ruins of Antigua, Guatemala

La Recolleción, Antigua, Guatemala

The churches of Mexico and all of Latin America are vibrant places, and retain their vibrancy even in a ruined state.  The church ruins I wrote about several years ago, in the state of Quintana Roo, are just one example. 
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2013/07/tihosuco-san-martiniano-other-mayan.html

Oaxaca Cathedral, Oaxaca MX

Buildings in many places in Latin America are at-risk from the frequent earthquakes in these zones of frequent seismic activity.  In fact, this environment prompted a new style of architecture that would be more earthquake resistant.  The Oaxaca Cathedral in Oaxaca Mexico typifies the solidity with which these churches have been built. There are none of the slender bell-towers and sky-grazing spires of churches in other places; these churches are rock-solid. Please follow the link below to learn more about this "Earthquake Baroque" architectural style.
https://colonialmexicoinsideandout.blogspot.com/2013/04/oaxacan-baroque-environment-and.html


Yet, even the most stringent architectural guidelines are not a guarantee; Latin America  bears testimony to the destructive power of earthquakes. The churches of Antigua, Guatemala are one case in point.  Although the original structures are gone, some of their outline and all of their spirit remains.  It is impossible to walk through a church ruin without sensing it is still a holy place.

San Jose Cathedral Cloisters:

Cloister ruins of San Jose Cathedral, Antigua, Guatemala

The Antigua (San Jose)  Cathedral has been damaged by earthquakes since the original church was built in 1541.  It was rebuilt and consecrated in 1680 and then again seriously damaged again in the earthquake of 1773. The church has since been rebuilt, but the cloisters have not and these cloister ruins remain a beautiful tribute to the past. 

Cloister ruins of San Jose Cathedral, Antigua, Guatemala

Church of Santo Domingo

This former Dominican Monastery dates from 1538 and was destroyed in the 1773 Santa Maria earthquake that destroyed the San Jose Cathedral.  Today, the old church-convent is a cultural complex that includes a museum and a hotel.  

Santo Domingo Convent ruins, Antigua, Guatemala

Santo Domingo Convent ruins, Antigua, Guatemala

Santo Domingo Convent ruins, Antigua, Guatemala

La Recolección:

This mission complex built by the order of Recollects in 1717 included classrooms, a library, hospital and cloisters. It was damaged by an earthquake in 1751 then largely destroyed in the major Santa Maria earthquake in 1773.  Today it is surrounded by a park. The mission remains hauntingly beautiful in its destroyed state.

La Recolección ruins, Antigua, Guatemala

La Recolección ruins, Antigua, Guatemala

La Recolección ruins, Antigua,Guatemala

La Recolección ruins, Antigua, Guatemala

La Recolección ruins, Antigua, Guatemala

Why Visit Church Ruins?
Churches, like the human beings they are built to serve, have an interdependent physical and spiritual component.  Even when their physical structure is destroyed, what they were and what they meant to people remains.  This is what makes church ruins such compelling places.  They are places of spiritual memory, something that cannot be destroyed.  Touring the church ruins of Antigua, Guatemala, or anywhere else, is as valuable experience as visiting the functioning churches themselves.