Guatemala
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
He was president of Guatemala from 1844 to 1848 and from 1851 until his death in 1865, after being appointed president for life in 1854. In 1851 Guatemala defeated an Allied army from Honduras and El Salvador at the Battle of La Arada. He is seen as a caudillo, a term that refers to Latin American charismatic populist leaders of military background.
Portrait of Rafael Carrera: Unidentified painter, Public domain, file
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Vicente Cerna Sandoval
president of Guatemala, 1865–1871
He was president of Guatemala from 24 May 1865 to 29 June 1871. He was appointed to succeed Carrera after the caudillo's death in 1865. After the 1869 elections there were severe fraud accusations, and his presidency was marred by constant uprising until liberal leaders ousted him on 30 June 1871.
Portrait of Vicente Cerna Sandoval: Presidencia de Guatemala, Public domain, file
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Manuel Estrada Cabrera
president of Guatemala, 1898–1920
He was President of Guatemala from 1898 to 1920. A lawyer with no military background, he modernised the industry and transportation infrastructure of the country by granting concessions to the American-owned United Fruit Company. He was removed from office when the national assembly declared him mentally incompetent.
Portrait of Manuel Estrada Cabrera: Edward H. Welch, Public domain, file
José María Orellana
president of Guatemala, 1921–1926
He was President of Guatemala between 1921 and 1926, after overthrowing President Carlos Herrera. During his rule the Quetzal was established as the currency of Guatemala.
Portrait of José María Orellana: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Lázaro Chacón González
president of Guatemala, 1926–1931
He was acting President of Guatemala from 26 September 1926 to 18 December 1926 and President of Guatemala from 19 December 1926 to 2 January 1931.
Portrait of Lázaro Chacón González: Guatemala government, Public domain, file
Jorge Ubico
president of Guatemala, 1931–1944
He was elected to the presidency in 1931, in an election where he was the only candidate. He continued giving massive concessions to the United Fruit Company and wealthy landowners. On 1 July 1944 he was forced to resign in response to a wave of protests and a general strike.
Portrait of Jorge Ubico: Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain, file
Juan José Arévalo
president of Guatemala, 1945–1951
He became the first democratically elected president of Guatemala in 1945. As president, he enacted several social reform policies, including an increase in the minimum wage and a series of literacy programs. He remained in office until 1951, surviving 25 coup attempts.
Portrait of Juan José Arévalo: Estudio Fleischmann, Public domain, file
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Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes
president of Guatemala, 1958–1963
He served as the 32nd president of Guatemala from 1958 to March 1963. He authorized the training of 5,000 anti-Castro Cubans in Guatemala and provided airstrips in the region of Petén for what later became the US-sponsored, failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961. His government was ousted on 31 March 1963 in a coup led by his Defense Minister, Colonel Enrique Peralta Azurdia.
Portrait of Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes: Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain, file
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Julio César Méndez Montenegro
president of Guatemala, 1966–1970
He was president of Guatemala from July 1966 to July 1970. He was the only civilian to hold the presidency during the long period of military rule between 1954 and 1986. It was during his presidency that the United States dramatically expanded its military mission in Guatemala.
Portrait of Julio César Méndez Montenegro: Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain, file
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Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio
president of Guatemala, 1970–1974
He was the 35th president of Guatemala from 1970 to 1974. In November 1970 he imposed a State of Siege, followed by heightened counterinsurgency measures. The Guatemalan Human Rights Commission estimated that 20,000 Guatemalans were killed or "disappeared" under his administration.
Portrait of Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio: Encyclopedia2001, CC0, file
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Vinicio Cerezo
president of Guatemala, 1986–1991
He was the 40th President of Guatemala from 1986 to 1991. He won the free election of 1986 as the candidate of the Christian Democracy Party. There were two failed coup attempts against his government.
Portrait of Vinicio Cerezo: Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain, file
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Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen
president of Guatemala, 1996–2000
He was the 44th president of Guatemala from 1996 to 2000. The main achievement of his presidency was the signature of a peace accord with the guerrilla group Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity, which ended the 36-year-long civil war. He also served several terms as Mayor of Guatemala City.
Portrait of Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen: Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain, file
Alfonso Portillo
president of Guatemala, 2000–2004
He was the 45th president of Guatemala from 2000 to 2004. He took office on 14 January 2000, representing the Guatemalan Republican Front, the party then led by retired general Efraín Ríos Montt.
Portrait of Alfonso Portillo: Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain, file
Óscar Berger
president of Guatemala, 2004–2008
He was the 46th president of Guatemala from 2004 to 2008. He was elected with 54.13% of the vote in the presidential election of December 2003. Before that he served as mayor of Guatemala City from 1991 to 1999.
Portrait of Óscar Berger: Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain, file
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Bernardo Arévalo de León
president of Guatemala, 2024 to today
He has been the 52nd president of Guatemala since 2024. Before that he was a deputy in the Congress of Guatemala from 2020 to 2024. He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, during the exile of his father, former president Juan José Arévalo.
Portrait of Bernardo Arévalo de León: Gobierno de Guatemala, Public domain, file
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Culture
- The territory of modern Guatemala hosted the core of the Maya civilization, which extended across Mesoamerica.
- After the Liberal Revolution of 1871, coffee became an important crop for Guatemala.
- In 1952 Decree 900, an agrarian reform bill, transferred uncultivated land to landless peasants.
- In 1992, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Rigoberta Menchú for her efforts to bring international attention to the government-sponsored genocide against the indigenous population.
Picture
Tikal was the capital of a state that became one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya.
Image: Mundo Maya, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.