Historical & Cultural Landmarks in Central America

Antigua Guatemala contains living traces of Spanish culture with its principal monuments, built in the Baroque style of the 18th century, preserved today as ruins. The city was a center for the exportation of religious images and statues to the American continent and to Spain during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Founded in 1519, Panamá Viejo was the oldest European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Abandoned in the mid-17th century, it was replaced by today's Historic District, which has preserved its original street plan, its architecture and an unusual mixture of architectural styles.

Granada is a city in southwestern Nicaragua that lies on the shore of Lake Nicaragua and at the foot of the Mombacho Volcano. It is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities both economically and politically, with a rich colonial heritage, as seen in its architecture and structure.

The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America. It separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean. The Panama Canal is one of the most strategic artificial waterways in the world and one of the largest, most difficult, engineering projects ever undertaken.

Surrounded by the lush vegetation of the Maya Forest, lies one of the major sites of Mayan civilization. Tikal National Park is one of the few World Heritage properties inscribed according to both natural and cultural criteria for its extraordinary biodiversity and archaeological importance.