The city of Antigua Guatemala has been hit by earthquakes so often that its residents have long ceased to pay attention to dilapidated buildings. Even the main shrine of the city is not a temple in the traditional sense but rather ancient ruins. The fact that Catholics and Maya found shelter within its walls at the same time also shows the loyalty of the local population to the religion.

The Roman Catholic Church was originally built in 1541. However, it was almost destroyed as a result of several earthquakes. So in 1669, the building was completely demolished. 10 years later, a new temple was erected in its place. Then it became the largest cathedral in Central America. The parishioners of the city were so happy about the appearance of the new shrine that they were celebrating its consecration in honor of St. Joseph for eight consecutive days. Unfortunately, their joy was short-lived as the strong earthquakes of 1773 again destroyed most of the religious building. Only the facade remained intact. The next reconstruction corrected the situation, but locals firmly decided to move the capital to the territory of the modern city of Guatemala and build a new cathedral there. The old temple has preserved interior items, sacred values, religious items, and rituals that survived the earthquake. It took more than 10 years before they were removed from the ruins and placed in storage at the University of St. Charles Borromeo.

At the beginning of the 19th century, local authorities decided to create a church parish on the ruins of the old church. To restore it, it was necessary to remove the bells and disassemble the main bell tower at the back of the church. Once Bells Street was named after the bell tower. Now it is called 3a Avenida Sur. But since there were not enough funds for major reconstruction, only the main entrance to the cathedral was restored.

Today, the Saint Joseph Cathedral, or rather its ruins and well-preserved luxurious facade are considered the main Catholic church of the city and are the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moreover, its cultural values ​​are the property of all mankind.