These ruins are all within a few blocks of each other, east of the plaza.

Santa Clara
Past
Nuns from Puebla, Mexico came to Antigua to found the Santa Clara church and convent in 1699. The 1717 earthquake seriously damaged the construction and it took almost twenty years to rebuild. It was inaugurated again in 1734 and was housing forty-six nuns. It was abandoned after the 1773 quake. It was later used as housing until the roof fell in during the 1874 quake. In 1944, when the city was declared a national monument, the site was cleaned up and reconditioned, making it safe to open to the public. In 1976, during another earthquake, there was more damage but the place has now been restored to its 1976 state, sort of.
Present
The convent has a beautiful facade, covered in archangels and saints. It is located on the corner of 6 Calle Ote and 2 Avenida Sur, open daily from 8am to 5pm, and admission is 30Q (US$3.75) for foreigners.

Iglesia de San Francisco
Past
The first temple was built in 1579 but was soon destroyed. Its ruins are next to the San Francisco ruins. The present church was built throughout the 17th century. It started small but was enlarged in 1684, damaged by earthquake in 1689, and built bigger and better. By 1702, it covered four blocks and contained the church, a convent, a school and a hospital. There was severe damage during the 1717 quake and even more in 1751. In 1773, it was almost completely ruined. Reconstruction began in 1960 to much criticism. Many thought it was being made too whole, being turned into a "new" ruin. The facade was also restored; its figures are from the 20th century.
Present
It is located on 7 Calle Ote and 1 Avenida Sur and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8am to 6pm. Inside is a museum, El Museo del Santo Hermano Pedro, which displays the religious belongings of Saint Hermano Pedro, still in remarkably good condition. Other religious objects, mostly paintings, are also displayed. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Admission is Q3 (US$.37).

La Concepcion
Past
Built in the late 16th century, La Concepcion was one of the largest and the most luxurious of Antigua's convents. It covered five blocks and the nuns lived in grand style, surrounded by beautiful objects and creature comforts. It was seriously damaged in the 1717 quake and was damaged some more in 1751 and 1773. It was abandoned in 1774.
Present
Little remains of this huge construction and much of what is left is buried. The front, built in 1694 remains, as do the cloisters. These ruins are on private property and not open to the public but are definitely worth a stop-and-peek from the street. They are located on 4 Calle Ote, east of 1 Avenida.

It is incredible. It is the closest thing to Indiana Jones that I've experienced (without the Lost Ark, people trying to kill you, etc.) The Mayan ruins are set in the jungle. There are two that you can climb to the top of and many pyramids and temples that you can walk around and in. The view of the jungle is amazing. The guide tells you that this is just a fraction of what is located here, but people are now focusing on some of the other thousands of archeological sites in Guatemala. The guide was very knowledgeable and spoke English well. There was only one other person in our group, so it was easy to ask questions and chat with the guide. There were other guides speaking other languages, so I think that, with a little research, you'd be able to find a guide who speaks your language.

We got a package deal (from a local travel agency) that included a transfer from Antigua to Guatemala City, a flight to Tikal, a transfer to our hotel, a morning tour of Tikal with tour guide, a free afternoon, a night at the Jungle Lodge, food, and passes to Tikal the next day. It was great. One day is not enough because you really only have about half a day in the ruins, which is not enough time to see everything. In the mornings it is pretty crowded with lots of tourists. In the afternoon everything quiets down a lot. You can spend quality time really exploring the things that you breezed by, and the guide gives you suggestions on where to head. It is very worth staying until dusk, when the animals go crazy, but bring a flashlight. It goes from dusk to pitch-dark very quickly. We wandered around in the dark for a while before someone with a flashlight came along, and we walked back to the lodge together. The howler monkeys are incredible, especially considering their size. We also spotted other monkeys and an animal whose tail sticks straight up into the air.

You can also take a bus here, which is much cheaper but very long. With our time constraints, flying was the way to go.

breathtaking, this was well worth the $150 we paid the tour group. lunch is included (have to pay for drinks including h20), but bring lots of h20 for hikes. bring lots of film for pix, most of our party needed to run back to the entrance to get more film. Make sure you do the climb up Temple IV to see the view. It's a fairly tough climb up wooden stairs, but the view is incredible and worth it to those that can survive the climb.