A Pigeon Nests Between Saint Statues on an Antigua Church Facade

This carved facade belongs to a colonial-era church in Antigua, Guatemala, once the seat of the Spanish Captaincy General of Guatemala. Founded in 1543, the city served as the colonial capital until earthquakes in 1773 badly damaged its buildings, prompting Spanish authorities to move the seat of government to present-day Guatemala City. Many of Antigua's Baroque church facades, built through the 17th and 18th centuries, combine sculpted saint niches with painted stucco ornament, a style brought from Spain and adapted by local craftsmen. Antigua's historic center was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 in recognition of its surviving colonial architecture.