Maya heartland is Central America's most populous republic
Guatemala packs about 17.6 million people—the most in Central America—between Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, and two oceans. Classic Maya cores rose here before sixteenth-century Spanish conquest folded the land into New Spain; independence from Spain and Mexico came in 1821.
The name comes from Nahuatl Cuauhtēmallān, place of many trees, itself drawn from a K'iche' Maya term; the Mexica first used it for the Kaqchikel city of Iximche, and the Spanish extended it to the whole country. The official title Republic of Guatemala dates from a decree of 21 March 1847. Humans were present by 12,000 BC, obsidian points may push that back to 18,000 BC, and maize was being grown by 3500 BC.
Maya civilisation peaked in the Classic period, 250 to 900 AD, with the densest cluster of cities in Petén, then collapsed as many lowland cities were abandoned, most likely because of prolonged drought recorded in lakebeds and pollen. Postclassic kingdoms such as the Itza in Petén and the K'iche', Kaqchikel and Tz'utujil in the highlands carried the culture on.
Pedro de Alvarado, sent by Hernán Cortés, invaded the highlands in 1523–24, first allying with the Kaqchikel against the K'iche'; smallpox cut the population even before conquest was complete. The first capital near Iximché later moved, and after a lahar from Volcán de Agua destroyed Ciudad Vieja in 1541 the seat went to the Panchoy Valley, today's Antigua. The Santa Marta earthquakes of 1773 forced another move, to the city founded in 1776 as La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción. Manila galleon cargoes of silver, porcelain, silk and spices crossed the territory between 1565 and 1815.
The Captaincy General declared independence on 15 September 1821 and briefly joined Agustín de Iturbide's Mexican Empire before entering the Central American federation. War between the liberal Francisco Morazán and the conservative Rafael Carrera, later the first president, helped break that union apart. With about 17.6 million people it is Central America's most populous country, and Guatemala City's metro area is the region's largest; roughly a quarter of the population faces food insecurity.
Source: Guatemala
