Guatemala Travel Guide - History

The most prominent early settlers of Guatemala were the Mayan civilisation. With a large population of Mayans still living in Guatemala today, this group of indigenous peoples settled into the pyramid structures that they constructed around the country. Many of these ancient cities still exist in ruins today around Guatemala.

The colonisation of Guatemala began when the Spanish arrived in the ‘New World’ and brought with them disease, civil war, and radical religious expectations. Most of the local civilisations which were thriving here eventually died out from disease, famine, or war.

On September 15 1821, the local Guatemalans, tired of Spanish colonial bureaucracy, declared independence from the European nation and joined the Mexican Empire. The Mexican Empire was dissolved two years later, leaving Guatemala as an autonomous state.

Since the receipt of autonomy from the Mexican Empire, Guatemala had been ruled by a series of dictatorships, all of whom were ousted by various coups shortly after receiving office. Today, the country runs on a representative democratic government that was established after the Guatemalan Civil War ended in 1996.