History of Guatemala
Home of the core of the Maya civilization, and a republic since 1847. 3 eras, 1542 to today.
Captaincy General of Guatemala, 1542–1821 Draft, not yet reviewed
It was an administrative division of the Spanish Empire, under the viceroyalty of New Spain in Central America. It included present-day Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Mexican state of Chiapas. In 1609 the area became a captaincy general, when the governor and Audiencia president was also granted the title of captain general to deal with foreign threats to the area from the Caribbean. The Captaincy General ended in 1821 with the signing of the Act of Independence of Central America.
Seat of power: Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala
Rulers
- Carlos Luis de Urrutia, Captain General of Guatemala, 1818–1821
Federal Republic of Central America, 1823–1841 Draft, not yet reviewed
It was a sovereign state in Central America that existed between 1823 and 1839/1841. It was composed of five states: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. It adopted a constitution, based on that of the federal government of the United States, in November 1824. A second civil war from 1838 to 1840 ended with the states of Central America declaring independence and the federal republic ceasing to exist.
Seat of power: Guatemala City
Rulers
- Juan Vicente Villacorta Díaz, President of the Federal Republic of Central America, 1823–1824
- Manuel José Arce, President of the Federal Republic of Central America, 1825–1828
- Mariano Beltranena y Llano, President of the Federal Republic of Central America, 1828–1829
- Francisco Morazán, President of the Federal Republic of Central America, 1829–1839
- José Francisco Barrundia, President of the Federal Republic of Central America, 1829–1830
- José Gregorio Salazar, President of the Federal Republic of Central America, 1834–1835
- Diego Vigil y Cocaña, President of the Federal Republic of Central America, 1839–1840
Guatemala, 1841 to today Draft, not yet reviewed
On 21 March 1847, Guatemala declared itself an independent republic and Carrera became its first president. The Guatemalan Civil War ended in 1996 with a peace accord between the guerrillas and the government, negotiated by the United Nations. The Historical Clarification Commission estimated that Maya Indians accounted for 83% of the victims, and it concluded in 1999 that state actions constituted genocide. In the 2023 elections, Bernardo Arévalo won the presidency, and he assumed office in January 2024.
Seat of power: Guatemala City
Rulers
- Rafael Carrera, president of Guatemala, 1851–1865
- Vicente Cerna Sandoval, president of Guatemala, 1865–1871
- Manuel Estrada Cabrera, president of Guatemala, 1898–1920
- José María Orellana, president of Guatemala, 1921–1926
- Lázaro Chacón González, president of Guatemala, 1926–1931
- Jorge Ubico, president of Guatemala, 1931–1944
- Juan José Arévalo, president of Guatemala, 1945–1951
- Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes, president of Guatemala, 1958–1963
- Julio César Méndez Montenegro, president of Guatemala, 1966–1970
- Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio, president of Guatemala, 1970–1974
- Vinicio Cerezo, president of Guatemala, 1986–1991
- Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen, president of Guatemala, 1996–2000
- Alfonso Portillo, president of Guatemala, 2000–2004
- Óscar Berger, president of Guatemala, 2004–2008
- Bernardo Arévalo de León, president of Guatemala, 2024 to today
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.