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Spanish conquistador Don Pedro de Alvarado invaded and conquered Guatemala.
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Guatemala becomes a Spanish colony.
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A deadly earthquake shakes Guatemala and brings about flooding that devastate the area of Ciudad Vieja, the first colonial capital established by the Spanish.
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The second colonial capital, Antigua, was founded by survivors of the earthquake of 1542.
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Antigua is destroyed by two earthquakes in 1773. Today, the remains of its Spanish architecture is preserved as a national monument.
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Guatemala City, the third colonial capital and current national capital today, is founded.
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Napolean overthrows the king of Spain and so the ruler shifts for all the Spanish colonies including Guatemala.
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Guatemala, after being freed of Spanish rule, joins the Mexican Empire.
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Guatemala gains independence from the Spanish.
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The United Provinces of Central America is formed by General Manuel Jose Arce.
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After joining the Mexican Empire, Guatemala leaves the Mexican Empire after two years under its rule.
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Guatemala becomes part of the United Provinces of Central America and joins COsta Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
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Guatemala becomes fully independent under the dissolution of the United Provinces of Central America.
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Rafael Carrera becomes the first of many liberal dictators of Guatemala.
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A President, Juan Jose Arevalo, is elected in 1945 and stays in office until 1951.
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The Guatemalan government forms Guatemala's first constitution. After several ammendments, the constitution is still in use today.
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General Miguel Ydigoras Fuente gains power of the Guatemalan government.
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In response to the rule of dictator Ydigoras Fuentes, many young military officers started a protest. Those who failed fled to Cuba and started guerrilla groups that were against the government and organized them for the next 36 years.
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After President Julio Cesar Mendez Montenegro took office he started several different campaigns to break up the guerrilla movement against the government.
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In response to trying to be controlled by the president and the Guatemalan government the guerrilla groups focused on Guatemala City where they launched attacks and ended up assasinating a US Ambassador in 1968.
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Rios Montt announces himself ruler of the Guatemalan government against the wishes of the guerrilla movement. In the next several years violent attacks broke out across Guatemala which resulted in about 200,000 deaths of innocent civilians.
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Rios Montt was deposed by his own Minister of Defense, Gen. Oscar Humberto Mejia Victores, who succeeded him as President of Guatemala.
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General Mejia allowed a return to democracy in Guatemala, starting with an election for a new president. In 1985, Vinicio Cerezo, a civilian politician and the presidential candidate of the Christian Democracy Party, won the first election held under the new constitution.
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Newly elected president takes office in January of 1986. At his inauguration, he announced that his top priorities would be to end the political violence and establish a true democracy.
