Most of central and south America was occupied
by the flourishing Mayan civilization long before the Spanish
arrived in the 16th century. This was the golden period for
Guatemala with the Mayans forming one of the most important
cultures in its history. There was a lot of social and cultural
progress during this period. Splendid monuments like temples,
pyramids and plazas were built.
In 1519 the Spanish defeated the Aztec
empire of Mexico and moved south to invade Guatemala. By
1528 the Spanish lieutenant, Pedro de Alvarado was in command
of the region. In 1543 Antigua was made the colonial capital
after the first capital, Ciudad Vieja was destroyed by earthquakes
and floods. Over the next two centuries Antigua developed
into the economic, political and cultural capital of Central
America. Royalty from all over Central America were attracted
to the monasteries, convents and universities of Antigua.
By the 17th century, Antigua became one of the richest capitals
in the New World.
However the region was always vulnerable
to natural disasters like floods, earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions. In 1773 two earthquakes destroyed most of churches,
palaces and other monuments in Antigua. There was huge loss
of life and property. Antigua was abandoned and Guatemala
City was made the capital in 1776.
Independence movements began in the early
19th century and Guatemala gained independence from Spain
on September 15, 1821. In 1823 a Central American convention
formed the United Provinces of Central America, which included
Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.
However there was dissention all around, and in 1829 liberal
forces took power. Over the next century the country experienced
a period of instability with coups and insurgencies forming
periods of military rule in-between elected representatives.
