Guatemala Guide
Antigua
La Merced
Address: 1 Calle
The church of La Merced boasts one of the most intricate and impressive facades in the entire city. It has been beautifully restored, painted mustard yellow and white, and crammed with plaster moulding of interlaced patterns. Look closely and you'll see the outline of a corn cob, a design not normally seen on Catholic churches and probably added by the original Maya labourers. The church is still in use, but the cloisters and gardens (US$0.80) lie ruined, exposed to the sky. In the centre of one of the courtyards is a monumental tiered fountain with four pools that's known as the Fuente de Pescados; the pools were used by the Mercedarian brothers for breeding fish. The colonial fountain in front of the church is also worth a look for its superbly preserved, carved decoration.