Portal:Guatemala
The Guatemala portal
Republic of Guatemala República de Guatemala (Spanish) | |
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| Anthem: Himno Nacional de Guatemala (English: "National Anthem of Guatemala") | |
| ISO 3166 code | GT |
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically bordered to the south by the Pacific Ocean and to the northeast by the Gulf of Honduras.
The territory of modern Guatemala hosted the core of the Maya civilization, which extended across Mesoamerica; in the 16th century, most of this was conquered by the Spanish and claimed as part of the viceroyalty of New Spain. Guatemala attained independence from Spain and Mexico in 1821. From 1823 to 1841, it was part of the Federal Republic of Central America.
For the latter half of the 19th century, Guatemala suffered instability and civil strife. From the early 20th century, it was ruled by a series of dictators backed by the United States. In 1944, authoritarian leader Jorge Ubico was overthrown by a pro-democratic military coup, initiating a decade-long revolution that led to social and economic reforms. In 1954, a US-backed military coup ended the revolution and installed a dictatorship.
From 1960 to 1996, Guatemala endured a bloody civil war fought between the US-backed government and leftist rebels, including genocidal massacres of the Maya population perpetrated by the Guatemalan military. The United Nations negotiated a peace accord, resulting in economic growth and successive democratic elections.
Guatemala's abundance of biologically significant and unique ecosystems includes many endemic species and contributes to Mesoamerica's designation as a biodiversity hotspot.
Although rich in export goods, around a quarter of the population (4.6 million) face food insecurity. Other extant major issues include poverty, crime, corruption, drug trafficking, and civil instability.
With an estimated population of around 17.6 million,0 Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America, the 4th most populous country in North America and the 11th most populous country in the Americas. Its capital and largest city, Guatemala City, is the most populous city in Central America. (Full article...)
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In a protracted conflict during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonisers gradually incorporated the territory that became the modern country of Guatemala into the colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain. Before the conquest, this territory contained a number of competing Mesoamerican kingdoms, the majority of which were Maya. Many conquistadors viewed the Maya as "infidels" who needed to be forcefully converted and pacified, disregarding the achievements of their civilization. The first contact between the Maya and European explorers came in the early 16th century when a Spanish ship sailing from Panama to Santo Domingo was wrecked on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in 1511. Several Spanish expeditions followed in 1517 and 1519, making landfall on various parts of the Yucatán coast. The Spanish conquest of the Maya was a prolonged affair; the Maya kingdoms resisted integration into the Spanish Empire with such tenacity that their defeat took almost two centuries.
Pedro de Alvarado arrived in Guatemala from the newly conquered Mexico in early 1524, commanding a mixed force of Spanish conquistadors and native allies, mostly from Tlaxcala and Cholula. Geographic features across Guatemala now bear Nahuatl placenames owing to the influence of these Mexican allies, who translated for the Spanish. The Kaqchikel Maya initially allied themselves with the Spanish, but soon rebelled against excessive demands for tribute and did not finally surrender until 1530. In the meantime the other major highland Maya kingdoms had each been defeated in turn by the Spanish and allied warriors from Mexico and already subjugated Maya kingdoms in Guatemala. The Itza Maya and other lowland groups in the Petén Basin were first contacted by Hernán Cortés in 1525, but remained independent and hostile to the encroaching Spanish until 1697, when a concerted Spanish assault led by Martín de Ursúa y Arizmendi finally defeated the last independent Maya kingdom. (Full article...)Did you know (auto-generated)
- ... that the Central American government voted for annexation to the First Mexican Empire after a request from Regent Agustín de Iturbide?
- ... that the Adelaide L. T. Douglas House, built for a New York City socialite, housed the United States Olympic Committee before being sold to Guatemala?
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Iximcheʼ (/iʃimˈtʃeʔ/) (or Iximché using Spanish orthography) is a Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. Iximche was the capital of the Late Postclassic Kaqchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 until its abandonment in 1524. The architecture of the site included a number of pyramid-temples, palaces and two Mesoamerican ballcourts. Excavators uncovered the poorly preserved remains of painted murals on some of the buildings and ample evidence of human sacrifice. The ruins of Iximche were declared a Guatemalan National Monument in the 1960s. The site has a small museum displaying a number of pieces found there, including sculptures and ceramics. It is open daily.
For many years the Kaqchikel served as loyal allies of the Kʼicheʼ Maya. The growing power of the Kaqchikel within the alliance eventually caused such friction that the Kaqchikel were forced to flee the Kʼicheʼ capital and founded the city of Iximche. The Kaqchikel established their new capital upon an easily defensible ridge almost surrounded by deep ravines. Iximche developed quickly as a city and within 50 years of its foundation it had reached its maximum extent. The rulers of Iximche were four principal lords drawn from the four main clans of the Kaqchikel, although it was the lords of the Sotzʼil and Xahil clans who held the real power. (Full article...)Selected image -
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Station and Customs of Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Northern Railway, 1896 -
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A view of the beach in Livingston, Guatemala -
A view of Flores, El Petén -
Lake Atitlán, from a dock in San Juan La Laguna -
A low impact trail built for ecotourists to protect an archeological site in Guatemala -
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View from the top of the Lost World Pyramid, Temple IV on the right and top of pyramid 5C-49 (also known as the Talud-Tablero Temple) in the Plaza of the Lost World -
A camioneta or chicken bus, a typical mode of transportation in Guatemala
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More did you know -
- ... that military officer Francisco Javier Arana, who briefly ruled Guatemala as part of a three-person junta, was subsequently killed in a shootout after threatening a coup?
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The Spanish conquest of Petén was the last stage of the conquest of Guatemala, a prolonged conflict during the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. A wide lowland plain covered with dense rainforest, Petén contains a central drainage basin with a series of lakes and areas of savannah. It is crossed by several ranges of low karstic hills and rises to the south as it nears the Guatemalan Highlands. The conquest of Petén, a region now incorporated into the modern republic of Guatemala, climaxed in 1697 with the capture of Nojpetén, the island capital of the Itza kingdom, by Martín de Ursúa y Arizmendi. With the defeat of the Itza, the last independent and unconquered native kingdom in the Americas fell to European colonisers.
Sizeable Maya populations existed in Petén before the conquest, particularly around the central lakes and along the rivers. Petén was divided into different Maya polities engaged in a complex web of alliances and enmities. The most important groups around the central lakes were the Itza, the Yalain and the Kowoj. Other groups with territories in Petén included the Kejache, the Acala, the Lakandon Chʼol, the Xocmo, the Chinamita, the Icaiche and the Manche Chʼol. (Full article...)List of Featured articles
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Central America in the 16th century before Spanish conquest (from History of Guatemala) -
Map of Guatemala in 1829. Note that borders with Mexico, Yucatán and Chiapas are not defined. (from History of Guatemala) -
Chiltepe, a common pepper used on some Guatemalan dishes. (from Culture of Guatemala) -
Inauguration of colonel Jacobo Árbenz as president of Guatemala in 1951 (from History of Guatemala) -
Proclamation Coin 1847 of the independent Republic of Guatemala (from History of Guatemala) -
Route Map of the Great White Fleet of the United Fruit Company, which had the monopoly of freight and passenger maritime transportante to and from Puerto Barrios in Guatemala since 1903 (from History of Guatemala) -
The Jurun Marinalá power plant was conceived during the Arbenz government to compete with the generation of the Electricity Company of Guatemala, which at that time was an American company and was using foreign oil instead of natural resources in Guatemala. Construction was not completed until 1968, fourteen years after Arbenz was removed in a CIA sponsored coup d'état. (from History of Guatemala) -
Day laborers pay day in Santa Rosa, ca. 1890, according to the Day Laborer Regulations established by Barrios (from History of Guatemala) -
Location of Franja Transversal del Norte -Northern Transversal Strip- in Guatemala (from History of Guatemala) -
Guatemala territory during Rafael Carrera and Vicente Cerna conservative regimes. Soconusco territories were given to México in exchange for their support to the Liberal revolution in 1871 by Herrera-Mariscal treaty of 1882. (from History of Guatemala) -
Barrigones sculpture (from History of Guatemala) -
Maya city of Tikal (from History of Guatemala) -
Manuel Estrada Cabrera ruled Guatemala between 1898 and 1920. (from History of Guatemala) -
Captain General Rafael Carrera after being appointed president for life of the Republic of Guatemala in 1854 (from History of Guatemala) -
General Carrera portrait celebrating the foundation of the Republic of Guatemala in 1847 (from History of Guatemala) -
Criollos rejoice upon learning about the declaration of independence on 15 September 1821. Painting by Rafael Beltranena. (from History of Guatemala) -
1861 map of the boundary between British Honduras (now Belize) and Guatemala (from History of Guatemala) -
Guatemalan National Penitentiary, built by Barrios to incarcerate and torture his political enemies (from History of Guatemala) -
General Francisco Morazán (from History of Guatemala) -
Coat of Arms of the Republic of Guatemala between 1858 and 1871. A replica was carved on the front side of the Carrera theater before it was remodeled in 1892. (from History of Guatemala) -
Plaza Central of Antigua Guatemala in 1829. The old "Palacio de la Capitanía General" was still destroyed after the 1773 earthquake. (from History of Guatemala) -
Finance Center in 2011. In 1981, a powerful bomb exploded in the basement of the building, leaving it without windows for several years. The owners -Industrial Bank- decided to keep it open to the public to defy the leftist guerrilla. (from History of Guatemala) -
Marinalá power plant advertisement during Arbenz government (from History of Guatemala) -
Map of railway lines in Guatemala and El Salvador, which were owned by the IRCA, the subsidiary of the United Fruit Company that controlled the railroad in both countries, while the only Atlantic port was controlled by the Great White Fleet, also a UFCO's company (from History of Guatemala) -
Chipilín Tamal, a common dish usually eaten at dinner. (from Culture of Guatemala) -
State coat of Los Altos, carved in stone on the grave of heroes in the Cemetery of Quetzaltenango (from History of Guatemala)
Topics
Ancestral background of Guatemalan citizens | |
| Guatemalan native groups (Maya and others) | |
| Former and extinct | |
| Guatemalan mestizo | |
| Descendants of Europeans (white or Criollo) | |
| Descendants of Asians | |
| Afro-descendants | |
| Americas | |
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| Guatemala City | ||
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| Antigua Guatemala | ||
| Provincial museums | ||
Departments
Guatemala is divided into 22 departments (departamentos) and sub-divided into about 332 municipalities (municipios).
The departments include:
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Here are some things you can do for WikiProject Guatemala:
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- El Viejo Palmar -- Village south of Quetzaltenango, hit by a volcanic eruption
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Recognized content
 | This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Guatemala}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options. |
Featured articles
Good articles
- 5to Piso
- 2010 Guatemala City sinkhole
- Adentro
- Gómez de Alvarado
- El Amor (Ricardo Arjona song)
- Francisco Javier Arana
- Jacobo Árbenz
- Ricardo Arjona
- La Blanca, Peten
- Bartolomé de las Casas
- Central America under Mexican rule
- Como Duele (Ricardo Arjona song)
- El Chal
- Fuiste Tú
- Guatemala at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
- Guatemalan Revolution
- Haʼ Kʼin Xook
- Independiente (Ricardo Arjona album)
- Itzam Kʼan Ahk II
- Iximche
- Kʼinich Yat Ahk II
- Kʼinich Yoʼnal Ahk I
- Manche Chʼol
- Marta (Ricardo Arjona song)
- Mi Novia Se Me Está Poniendo Vieja
- Mixco Viejo
- Motul de San José
- Mundo Perdido, Tikal
- North Acropolis, Tikal
- Poquita Ropa
- Puente (song)
- Quién Dijo Ayer
- Quién (Ricardo Arjona song)
- Quiero (Ricardo Arjona song)
- Battle of Roatán
- Simplemente Lo Mejor
- Spanish American wars of independence
- Spanish conquest of Yucatán
- Spanish conquest of the Maya
- Te Quiero (Ricardo Arjona song)
- Tikal
- Trópico (Ricardo Arjona album)
- Vida (Ricardo Arjona song)
- White-lipped peccary
- Yoʼnal Ahk III
- Zaculeu
Featured pictures
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Cinnamon hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) in flight Los Tarrales -
Emerald swift (Sceloporus malachiticus) Finca El Pilar -
Ocellated turkey (Meleagris ocellata) male Peten
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Guatemala news
The current date and time in Guatemala is Saturday, June 1, 2024, 14:44.
News media:
- The Guatemala Times
- La Prensa Libre (in Spanish)
- Wikinews Guatemala portal
