The name "Guatemala" comes from Nahuatl Cuauhtēmallān, "place of many trees." This was the name the Tlaxcaltecan soldiers who accompanied Pedro de Alvarado during the Spanish Conquest gave to this territory.
Most of Guatemala was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century, becoming part of the colony of New Spain (present-day Mexico).
When Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, fell to Spanish conquistadors on March 13, 1697, it marked the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.
In 1821 Guatemala declared independence from Spain jointly with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
In 1900, Guatemala had a population of 885,000. Over the course of the 20th century the population of the country had the fastest growth in the Western Hemisphere. Its estimated population in 2014 was 15,806,675.
An early example of of the utilization of rubber in combination with textiles for waterproofing purposes were the rubber-coated rain capes worn by the 16th century Indians of Escuintla on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, a region of heavy rainfall.
The first mass produced instant coffee was the invention of George Constant Washington, an English chemist living in Guatemala. In 1906, while waiting for his wife one day to join him in the garden for coffee, he observed dried coffee on the spout of the silver coffeepot. Intrigued he started experimenting, which lead to his discovery of easily dissolving coffee.
In 1951 Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz (September 14, 1913 – January 27, 1971) carried out an agrarian reform under which uncultivated portions of large land-holdings were expropriated in return for compensation and redistributed to poverty-stricken agricultural laborers. The US became suspicious of this as the Cold War developed and in 1954 the CIA engineered a coup d'etat.
One of the prime movers behind the 1954 coup in Guatemala was the United Fruit Company. Although it was a covert operation carried out by the CIA the UFC was deeply involved in advocating for the coup since its' operations were threatened by Guatemalan land reforms.
Most of Guatemala was conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century, becoming part of the colony of New Spain (present-day Mexico).
When Nojpetén, capital of the last independent Maya kingdom, fell to Spanish conquistadors on March 13, 1697, it marked the final step in the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.
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| The main pyramid at Nojpetén |
In 1821 Guatemala declared independence from Spain jointly with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
In 1900, Guatemala had a population of 885,000. Over the course of the 20th century the population of the country had the fastest growth in the Western Hemisphere. Its estimated population in 2014 was 15,806,675.
An early example of of the utilization of rubber in combination with textiles for waterproofing purposes were the rubber-coated rain capes worn by the 16th century Indians of Escuintla on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, a region of heavy rainfall.
The first mass produced instant coffee was the invention of George Constant Washington, an English chemist living in Guatemala. In 1906, while waiting for his wife one day to join him in the garden for coffee, he observed dried coffee on the spout of the silver coffeepot. Intrigued he started experimenting, which lead to his discovery of easily dissolving coffee.
In 1951 Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz (September 14, 1913 – January 27, 1971) carried out an agrarian reform under which uncultivated portions of large land-holdings were expropriated in return for compensation and redistributed to poverty-stricken agricultural laborers. The US became suspicious of this as the Cold War developed and in 1954 the CIA engineered a coup d'etat.
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| Jacobo Arbenz Guzman (official) |
One of the prime movers behind the 1954 coup in Guatemala was the United Fruit Company. Although it was a covert operation carried out by the CIA the UFC was deeply involved in advocating for the coup since its' operations were threatened by Guatemalan land reforms.
The Guatemalan government carried out a genocide in the 1980's known as the Silent Holocaust against the Mayan people.
In Guatemala, people make carpets of sawdust and flowers that measure up to a mile in length for Easter. The carpet is incredibly detailed and takes weeks to make. People walk over the carpet on their way to church.
Guatemala City is the most populous city in Central America. In 2009, it had a formal population of 1,075,000, but the metropolitan population is believed to be at least 4.5 million by 2013.
Although Guatemala is the world's largest producer of cardamom, local use is negligible.
Non-Hispanic ethnic Mayans are still alive and make up 40% of Guatemala’s population.
As a first and second language, Spanish is spoken by 93% of the population. Twenty-one Mayan languages are spoken, especially in rural areas, as well as two non-Mayan Amerindian languages.
Source Wikipedia
In Guatemala, people make carpets of sawdust and flowers that measure up to a mile in length for Easter. The carpet is incredibly detailed and takes weeks to make. People walk over the carpet on their way to church.
Guatemala City is the most populous city in Central America. In 2009, it had a formal population of 1,075,000, but the metropolitan population is believed to be at least 4.5 million by 2013.
Although Guatemala is the world's largest producer of cardamom, local use is negligible.
Non-Hispanic ethnic Mayans are still alive and make up 40% of Guatemala’s population.
As a first and second language, Spanish is spoken by 93% of the population. Twenty-one Mayan languages are spoken, especially in rural areas, as well as two non-Mayan Amerindian languages.
Source Wikipedia
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