Guatemala Essay, Research Paper

The first fishing and farming villages first emerged around 2000 BC near the shores of Guatemala and then in 1000 BC the Mayans started to arrive in the Peten area. The Mayas developed many things and one of them was the number 0. They also calculated the year more accurately then the Europeans. The Mayan empire was not unified and the highest point of Mayan civilization was between the forth and seventh centuries. They abandoned their cities in Guatemala and moved northward to the Yucatan Peninsula and some of the larger cities contained between 100,000 and 400,000 people. In the twelfth century a group of Mayans came back to the Peten area.

In 1517 Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba and his army were driven away by the Mayans in attempt to conquer them. Two years later a man named Hernando Cortes sailed to Mexico from Cuba and He and his army conquered Mexico. A man named Pedro de Alvarado attacked Guatemala to gain more land and he succeeded. The first Spanish capital was founded in 1524 and it was called Santiago de los Caballeros. The Guatemala inhabitants were influenced to gain independence by the revolt of the Britains North America in 1776 and the French Revolution in 1767. In 1821 Guatemala achieved their independence and Manuel Estrad Cabrera became president in 1898. In 1920 a revolution broke out and they overthrew the Cabrera regime. After the Cabrera regime Guatemala has had many different leaders.

The population of Guatemala in 1987 was around 8.9 million people. The population Guatemala breaks down to a little less than 50% are pure Indians and some of the other major ethnic groups are mestizos and pure Spaniards. The population of Guatemala also includes German, English, and Chinese people. The most populated areas in Guatemala are the Highland areas because of its nice climate wile the least populated area is the Peten because it is mainly jungle.

An example of a Guatemalan newspaper headline is Experts Find Guatemala Mass Graves. This article was written on April 7 and is about 40 villagers that were believed to be killed by army troops in Guatemala s Civil War. The per capita of Guatemala is 4,000 Dollars and 20 US Dollars is equivalent to 140.2 Quetzals. In Guatemala the most popular sport is Soccer but basketball and baseball are also pretty popular. One of the major holidays in Guatemala is All Saints Day. All Saints Day celebrates the memory of the dead and is celebrated in November. If you were in Guatemala s capital Guatemala City you could visit one of the many museums that they have there. Also if you are an art fan you could visit one of their 30 galleries that show Guatemalan artists in painting, photography, engraving and sculpture. Guatemala City also has a few theaters that show a wide range of plays, especially in national play writes.