La Merced: |
In 1523, Guatemala was discovered by Cortes' lieutenant, Alvarado, seeking precious metals to finance the Spanish war effort in
Europe. Some silver was found at Huehetenango, but little else, and so few conquistadors
stayed. Thus the indigenous people survived in larger numbers than elsewhere. By the sixteenth century, Antigua was a major centre. The Spaniards set about building churches, and converting the Indians to Catholicism. |
