Iglesia de San Francisco, Antigua Guatemala

[1] They were the first to move to the Panchoy Valley in 1541 where they built a church at the site of today's School of Christ (Escuela de Cristo).

This chapel was severely damaged in 1565 and during the next ten years donations were collected to build a new sanctuary located two blocks away in 1579.

Theology, law, philosophy, physics and mathematics were taught at San Buenaventura College, located in today's monastery ruins.

The church marks the beginning of the Calle los Pasos (Steps Street) which holds the Stations of the Cross and used to be walked solemnly.

[2] Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur, missionary in Guatemala of Spanish origin, who was beatified 1980 and canonized in 2002, is enshrined at the site.

Main entrance to the church property.
Salomonic columns at the entrance
San Francisco Church ruins in 1875; the Green Goddess temple scenes of the movie The New Adventures of Tarzan were filmed at this location in 1935. Photograph by Eadweard Muybridge .