Metropolitan Cathedral of Guatemala City

Guatemala City's cathedral was built between 1782 and 1815, after the capital moved from Antigua Guatemala following the devastating Santa Marta earthquakes of 1773. The architects learned their lesson — the new cathedral was designed with thick walls and a low, heavy profile to resist seismic damage. The style is restrained Neoclassical: a plain facade with columns and a triangular pediment, twin bell towers that are wide rather than tall, and an overall impression of solidity rather than ornament. Inside, the nave is broad with barrel vaulting and heavy piers. The main altar is marble, and the side chapels contain colonial-era art rescued from Antigua's ruined churches, including polychrome statues and silver processional crosses. The cathedral faces the Parque Central, the administrative heart of the city, flanked by the National Palace and government buildings. In front of the cathedral, twelve columns stand as a memorial listing the names of victims who disappeared during the Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996), a conflict in which the Catholic Church paid dearly — catechists, priests, and an entire bishop were among those killed. The building carries that history quietly.