Founded by Pedro de Portocarrero in 1526, on the site of the Kaqchikel centre of Bokoh, CHIMALTENANGO was later considered as a possible location for the new capital. It has the misfortune, however, of being positioned on the continental divide and suffered terribly from the earthquake in 1976 which flattened much of the surrounding area. Today's town (its centre is just to the north of the main road) is still suffering from that disaster, with dirt streets, breeze-block buildings and an air of weary desperation. The town extracts what little business it can from the stream of traffic on the Interamericana, and the roadside is crowded with cheap comedores, mechanics' workshops, and sleazy bars that become brothels by night. Buses passing through Chimaltenango run to all points along the Carretera Interamericana. For Antigua they leave every twenty minutes between 5am and 7pm from the market in town - or you can wait at the turn-off on the highway.