History of Guatemala By bmhinson03 Period: 1523 to 1524 Pedro de Alvarado conquers Mayans and turns Guatemala into a Spanish colony 1773 Earthquake ruins Guatemala's capital in Antigua 1839 Guatemala becomes fully independent Period: 1900 to 1950 Guatemala grows economically and develops type of social security 1941 Guatemala declares war on Axis powers 1954 Invasions by Guatemalan communists begin Period: 1959 to 1995 Violence and repression overwhelms Guatemala 1970 Carlos Arena elected president 1995 Guatemala starts restoring people within the country