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Jan 1, 1524
A Spanish colony
Pedro de Alvarado turns Guatemala into a Spanish colony. -
After 300 years...
Guatemala becomes independent (and joins the Mexican empire in 1822). -
United Provinces
Guatemala becomes part of the United Provinces. -
Overthrown by the revolt
A brutal dictator, Maximilliano Hernado Martinez, is overthrown by a nonviolent campaign in El Salvador. -
Almost a century and a half later
27,000 people are killed and more than 1,000,000 people are left homeless by an earthquake. -
Death Squads
Around 11,000 people are killed by death squads/soldiers in response to the growing anti-government-guerrilla activity. -
President's peace with rebels
Alvaro Arzu becomes president and signs a peace agreement with the rebels of the Guatemalan Revolutionary National Unity, (ending 36 years of civil war). -
Indigenous Guatemalans
Guatemalans (especially Indigenous Guatemalans) all the way up to today, have had to face high levels violence, poverty, and inequality.