History of Hotel Casa Antigua

Hotel Casa Antigua has a lot of history. Although it has a colonial style, it was built at different times in Guatemala’s history as an independent republic. Many of the pieces that you will find inside the hotel rooms come from the 18th and 19th centuries. Like a large bed that was carved by hand for King Mosquitia of Nicaragua, one of the original chandeliers in the Cathedral of Antigua, and a bed that was once in a “Hermano Pedro” house. Five generations of the Pellecer family have lived in this house. They emigrated from Guatemala and Nicaragua, so you will see characteristics and artifacts from both countries.

This house is located in an area where the Spanish inquisition operated after the conquest. Some construction workers said it was not unusual to find human remains and other evidence from darker times in the house.

A few blocks from the hotel there are important institutions such as a Jesuit convent (now managed as an artistic and convention center by Spanish cooperation), the Cathedral, the central park with its unique water fountain, the church of la Merced, the Capuchinas convent, The Palace of the Captains, the Town Hall and many restaurants and shops.

Four blocks west is the craft market and the bus terminal. Six blocks southeast is the Church of San Francisco, where you will see many testimonies of faith from the “Hermano Pedro” (now Saint Pedro de San José de Betancourt).

How to get to everything? Walking, this is a city to be walked. That is how you’ll discover its treasures.

Inside the hotel you will see unique antiques of great value. In one room is the bed larger than the king size that was made for the King of Mosquitia in Nicaragua. It was originally made in Jamaica and then transported to Central America. In another room you will see a bed owned by Doña Elvira, former governor. The “Hermano Pedro” (now Saint Pedro de San José de Betancourt) also slept in this bed. In another room there is a wonderful chandelier that once hung in the Cathedral of Antigua. In the hallways you will see paintings by Toribio Jerez from 1850 and many other pieces that came from France to Granada, Nicaragua and finally to this house.