Guatemala’s world heritage site of Unesco at Antigua sits in an earthquake region. According to Unesco’s writing  ‘Antigua Guatemala was a centre for the exportation of religious images and statues to the rest of the American continent and to Spain during the 17^th and 18^thcenturies’… after its destruction by fire in 1527 and entirely buried as a result of earthquakes and an avalanche in 1541, its third location, in the Valley of Panchoy or Pacán, was inaugurated in March 1543 and served for 230 years. It survived natural disasters of floods, volcanic eruptions and other serious tremors until 1773 when the Santa Marta earthquake destroyed much of the town. At this point, authorities ordered the relocation of the capital to a safer location region, which became Guatemala City the county’s modern capital. Some residents stayed behind in the original town, however, which became referred to as “La Antigua Guatemala”.

Valley of Panchoy(or Pacan) remembers General Panchaia or Pan Chao of China in history who defeated Kadaphises II, King of Yuei-chi in 70 A.D. This highly sacred land of incense called Land of Punt or Poen-at, or the island of Pa-anch finds its beautiful versified history in Vergil’s Georgics(II,139). This land was then situated on the bank of the river Indus and was closer to the City of Sun; Egypt(Egyptian Socotra), Arabia, India, and ancient Rome and Greeks were all connected with this island which again was the home of the story of the Phoenix Bird or the Benu Bird. It is historically connected with Gulf of Cambay, Barygaza, and the Erythraean Sea; from here corsairs called Bawarji frequented the port of Eirinon(Ezion-Geber of the Bible). Pali sources mention that River Panchan was flowing in the ancient Magadha; the place is so called because it was the meeting-place of pancha(means ‘five’) rivers.

Name Guatemala finds its root in ‘Gotamaka’; they were a class of ascetics of the ancient world; the name also sees Gomantaka mountain in the region of Amar where these ascetics were then living. The river was called Go-Mati and the shrine was called Gomantaka-cetiya. Guttisala village was near it. It was home of the Yakkha Gomantaka.

Antigua’s root is in ‘Antah’ means ‘end’; it identifies the buffer zone or the ‘border’ between two kingdoms or two rival social groups or tribes. So there are more villages in this name, and history some kings in this name also. Antilo, Antardyoya, and Antar etc some of the names associated with Antigua’s historical origin. It was a place on ancient Oxium or Auxium.

The ancient homelands of the migrants who found their ‘second home’ at Antigua Guatemala refers to Gomantaka of the ‘first-land’ of human civilization.