Guatemala City history

Guatemala City’s History

Guatemala has an important history that has helped to shape Central America.  Throughout the entire city, you can view the great history of the Spanish Colonization of the area.  Beforehand however, Guatemala City was an important area for the Mayan civilization.  The Mayan’s capitol city was Kaminaljuyu, which is located just outside of Guatemala City and today you can visit the ruins.

There are various temples and temple mounds, but unfortunately, while Guatemala City was developing, these temples were built over or completely destructed.  However, they are now virtually all protected by either UNESCO or the government of Guatemala.

Guatemala became the headquarters of all Central American affairs during the Spanish reign in 1775.  Beforehand, the capital was Antigua, which is also in Guatemala.  That was destroyed by a volcano so the capitol was moved and therefore led to a greater interest in Guatemala City. 

It then became the key  city in gaining the independence of Central America from Spain.  When Central America claimed independence, Guatemala City took the name as the capital of the United Provinces of Central America, which also caused great controversies.  Although the surrounding areas were free from Spanish control, Guatemala was trying to enforce the other countries such as Nicaragua and Costa Rica to follow under its ruling reign.   This consolidation of the area eventually broke apart and Guatemala became a separate country that has seen more wars than one country should.

Although nowadays, it is calmer, Guatemala has seen its fair share of wars over country borders and many internal and civil wars.  Guatemala City has seen many dictatorships and political turmoil too.  Peace broke in the country after the Esquipulus II was signed by the Central American Leaders in 1987.  Compared to its Central American neighbors, El Salvador and Honduras, Guatemala is safe but safety should always be advised.

There are multiple tourist attractions in Guatemala City that include restaurants, museums and local ruins.  The culture of Guatemala is mysterious and also much different from its Central American counterparts.  The Mayans were a phenomenal power in the area and they just disappeared without a trace archeologically.  While there, you may feel this mysterious aura that Guatemala City holds.