A few months later Antigua was afflicted by the 1717 earthquakes damaging the church and the cloisters . After repairs , the monastery housed 35 friars in 1740 . The complex suffered again in the 1751 earthquakes and more so in the devastating Santa Marta earthquakes of 1773 . The church lost its base wall and most of the presbytery and the crossing , while the aisles , choir and its upper side were render useless
1717 earthquakes
1717 Guatemala earthquake
La Recolección Architectural Complex