Palace of the Captain Generals, Colonial museum and government building in Central Square, Antigua Guatemala

The Palacio de los Capitanes Generales occupies the southeast corner of Antigua Guatemala's Central Plaza. Its two-story stone facade, rebuilt in the late 19th century with columns stored for nearly a century in makeshift warehouses on the square's south side, faces the plaza with a columned portal. The building now houses the Guatemala Institute of Tourism, the National Police, the Sacatepequez government and the National Museum of Guatemalan Art.

Built in 1558 as the first two-story structure in the region, it served as the seat of Spanish colonial rule until 1773 when the government relocated. After that point, the building adapted to new functions while its architecture remained a landmark in the city.

The building now houses the National Museum of Guatemalan Art alongside the Guatemala Institute of Tourism, the Antigua Tourism Association, the National Police and the Sacatepéquez departmental government. Its name recalls the captain generals who governed the Captaincy General of Guatemala from here, and the colonial stone columns of the rebuilt façade still frame the south side of the Central Plaza.

The building opens directly onto the main plaza, making it easy to enter and navigate its various sections and galleries. Visitors should plan for several hours if they want to explore the museum collections and walk through the courtyards and arcaded passages.

The structure survived multiple earthquakes over centuries, and restoration work reused stone blocks that had been stored from earlier constructions on the site. This practice of salvaging and reusing materials reflects how the building adapted to the region's seismic challenges.