It is located in the Centro Cívico (Civic Center) of the city and was built in the same place of the old Fuerte de San José.

Its form, which emulates a seated jaguar,[1] stands out from the adjacent buildings.

The complex, which was designed by the architects Efrain Recinos and Carlos Alberto Haeussler was completed in 1978.

[1] The center is named for Guatemalan writer and Nobel Laurate Miguel Ángel Asturias.

It contains the Gran Sala Efrain Recinos, a large proscenium theater named for the architect that designed the structure's facade, the Teatro de Cámara Hugo Carrillo, a smaller, black box theater named for the Guatemalan playwright and director, and an outdoor amphitheater, the Teatro al Aire Libre.