A Royal Decree in 1561 gave the Jesuits permission to build a convent. This evolved into a complex consisting of a college (added in 1582) and a church (first built in 1626 and replaced in 1698). During the 17th century and most of the next one, the School of the Society of Jesus (San Lucas School) taught the children from the elite families in the city. In 1767, the Jesuits were expelled across the Spanish Empire including in Santiago de los Caballeros (today’s Antigua Guatemala). Six years later, most of the complex was destroyed by an earthquake except the convent building. It fell during a 1912 seismic event. This is the façade of the former church.
