RESTORATION OF MONUMENTS IN ANTIGUA GUATEMALA

Proceso de Restauración de Monumentos en Antigua Guatemala, después de los terremotos de 1976.

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On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the founding of the first city of Guatemala in 2024, this book presents the cleaning, consolidation, restoration, and reinforcement work carried out on some important colonial monuments in Antigua Guatemala, after the 1976 earthquakes, conducted with the planning and supervision of Consejo Nacional para la protección de Antigua Guatemala (CNPAG) during the period from 1978 to 1990, a process in which the authors of the book actively participated.
For the description of the book content, the least technical words possible have been used for ease interpretation. The compendium presented in chapter 1 related to the earthquakes that were recorded directly in and/or around Antigua Guatemala, gives an idea of the effect from this type of horizontal movements to which the described structures have been subjected, which has entailed the constant deterioration of them.
Not all works in their post-earthquake state gave rise to a comprehensive total project. In several cases what was done was planned at the time to keep the monument standing and prevent further deterioration. What was carried out at work, sometimes does not match with what was indicated in the plans, because of the existence of steel bars of different degree, the absence of diameters in the market and surpluses from other works. It was used what was available, making the equivalents in each case.
The intention of the horizontal reinforcement in all works, was always made with the integration to the adjacent masonry, both in horizontal and vertical direction, with the concept of integral work of the structure to confront horizontal movements.
In Antigua Guatemala there are many other colonial monuments that need their urgent intervention to avoid further deterioration, which obviously requires sufficient financial resources to be able to do so. These work should be carried out with the least possible intervention and always in line with the existing materials.
Much remains to be done to recover what is still standing and, for this, in addition to the financial resources, the knowledge and professional guidance of those in charge of the works is needed, based on the interpretation of how these structures function in horizontal movements.
The seismic risk of the city, as described and appreciated in this book, must be taken seriously and, above all, with prevention. It must avoid at all costs the works that have been done by private professionals without knowledge and experience, as has been the useless makeup on facades.