Downtown Historical Center, Guatemala City

The National Palace is one of Guatemala City's prominent buildings. Eclectic in style, it mixes Renaissance, neo-Classical and Baroque. The best Guatemalan artists participated in the construction of this 8,890 sq m/96,000sq ft. granite edifice, which was commissioned by General Jorge Ubico and built between 1936 and 1943.Many of the ornate state chambers can be visited. The palace displays Guatemalan paintings and murals by Alfredo Suarez depicting the conquest of Guatemala.Kilometre zero, the exact center of Guatemala, is located in the center of the palace's drawing room.

Twin-towered Catedral Metropolitana was completed in 1815 and represents the neo-classical architecture of the 19th C.Catedral Metropolitana shelters many works of art that were originally in the Cathedral of Antigua Guatemala. The image of the Virgen del Perpetuo Socorro is the oldest image in Guatemala and it was brought into the country by Hernan Cortés in 1522.The Cathedral has survived through three earthquakes, in 1830, 1917 and 1976.

Parque Centenario (Centenary Park) is where Central American Independence was proclaimed in 1821. The center of the original colonial government was located where shoe shiners now gather.

The Mercado Central is a big market featuring handicrafts plus fresh food and livestock. An earthquake destroyed the original market building adjacent to the square in 1976.

Portal del Comercio, a neo-classical building c 1788 dating from the colonial period is home to a variety of shops, cafes and street vendors' stalls where arts and crafts from all over the country are sold.