PANCHOY VALLEY

It is the place where the third capital of the Kingdom of Gohatemala (now, the Republic of Guatemala) was founded. It was originally called City of Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala, and it is actually the city of La Antigua Guatemala.

On September 11th 1541, the Almolonga Valley, where the second capital of the country was established (Ciudad Vieja), suffered a flood that made it necessary to move the capital of the kingdom to a safer place. After a number of town council meetings, Juan Bautista Antonelli, who was then in the city by ordinance of the King of Spain, rendered a report in which he affirmed that because of its spacious flatness, abundance of fruits and provisions, and water supply, Panchoy Valley (ethimology: Panchoy = Great Lagoon) was the most appropriate place to found the new city. That is how on November 21st 1542, the city was designed, plotted, and traced on Panchoy Valley.