Home > San Juan del Obispo

To the south and four kilometers from the city of Antigua, you will find the picturesque city of San Juan del Obispo in Sacatepéquez. It is named in memory of it's founder, Francisco Marroquin, educator and first bishop of Guatemala, San Juan is located at the base of the Volcano Hunapú (Agua) and serves as an memorable land mark for its beauty and awe inspiring views.

The town is 1600 meters above sea level and has a population of about 2,300 people. To the east of central park is a Barroque style church and a beautiful Episcopal palace. From the north, you can observe the extensive and marvelous Panchoy Valley where the conquistadors founded the very noble and fair city of Santiago of the Horses (Antigua) in 1543.

Around town

4km from Antigua but a world away!	Church and town square	Church
Church	View of Volcan Agua	Local streets

The church and the palace were built in 1541 for Bishop Marroquin. The palace was destroyed in the Santa Marta earthquake of 1773. It was rebuilt in 1940 but the church is in tis original form. The park has also been rebuilt. Now the palace is a convent for nuns from the Betania congregation. There are four nuns living there and they are dedicated to religious activities and the upkeep of the building. To visit the palace, a donation is recommended.

In this beautiful place, you will find the first and only Sanish School APPE, who chose this place for the friendliness of the people and for its artist workshops.

The school

School entrance	School gardens	Front of school
relaxing at break time	The school grounds	Gardens
School grounds	School grounds	Front of school

There are small shops, pharmacies, bookshops and transportation services in San Juan. The busses from San Juan to Antigua run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from Antigua to San Juan they run from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. You pay only Q.1.00. There are also taxis for emergencies. In San Juan there aren't any doctors, only in Antigua.

To all visitors to San Juan, welcome and we hope you have a great time while you are here.

Courses & Accommodation

All the courses we offer are the same as in Antigua. Please take a look at the courses and accommodation pages for more information. Group classes and individual classes are available. The activities programme is also the same as the school in Antigua. All our volunteer programmes are also open to people studying at San Juan. All lessons take place inside the school building or on the school grounds.

Study inside.........

studying hard	group classes	group class

or study outside........

Studying outside	Under the trees	Studying in the sun
On the veranda	Group class	Break time
In the shade	In the garden	under the veranda