Guatemala

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Guatemala fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. 🇲🇽 Kaanul kingdom of Calakmul550 to 695

   Tikal and the Kaanul kings of Calakmul fought for mastery of the Maya lowlands. Calakmul and its ally Caracol defeated Tikal in 562, but in 695 Tikal's king Jasaw Chan K'awiil beat Calakmul and Tikal recovered.

2. 🇪🇸 Spanish Empire1524 to 1697

   Pedro de Alvarado conquered the K'iche' in 1524, and the Kaqchikel fought him until 1530. Spain ruled the highlands for three centuries, but the Itza kingdom of the Petén held out until 1697.

3. 🇬🇧 British Empire1821 to 1981

   Britain's logging settlement in Belize, on land Spain had claimed, became independent Guatemala's main grievance. The 1859 treaty set the border, Guatemala later called it void, and Britain kept troops in Belize through and beyond its independence in 1981.

4. 🇲🇽 Mexico1822 to 1882

   The Mexican Empire annexed Central America in 1822. When the provinces left in 1823, Chiapas stayed Mexican, and Mexico later took Soconusco. Guatemala gave up both only in the 1882 treaty.

5. 🇸🇻 El Salvador1885 to 1906

   Guatemala long tried to dominate its smaller neighbour. In 1885 Justo Rufino Barrios invaded El Salvador to force a Central American union and died at Chalchuapa. The two countries fought again in 1906.

6. 🇭🇳 Honduras1917 to 1933

   Guatemala and Honduras disputed the banana lands of the lower Motagua valley, where rival American fruit companies operated. Troops faced each other more than once before an arbitration tribunal fixed the border in 1933.

7. 🇺🇸 United States1954

   Alarmed by Árbenz's land reform and his communist allies, the United States organised and armed an invasion by Guatemalan exiles in June 1954, which forced Árbenz to resign.

8. 🇲🇽 Mexico1958 to 1959

   In December 1958 Guatemalan warplanes attacked Mexican fishing boats accused of fishing in Guatemalan waters, killing several fishermen. Mexico broke off relations in January 1959 before they were restored later that year.

9. 🇧🇿 BelizeSince 1981Still open

   Guatemala claims much of Belize under its reading of the 1859 treaty. It recognised Belize's independence in 1991, and after referendums in 2018 and 2019 the two countries are awaiting a ruling of the International Court of Justice.

Today

Guatemala now

D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict.

Capital

Guatemala City

Government

presidential republic

Area

108,889 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population18.1 million2023 · 3.1 million in 1950
• Life expectancy72.6 years2023 · 37.8 years in 1950
• GDP per person$7,9692022 · $3,323 in 1950
• Living in cities56%2025 · 25% in 1950
• Literacy82%2024 · 28% in 1950
• Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Electoral autocracy in 1950
• Military alliancesRio Pact2024 · Rio Pact in 1950
• Military spending0.5% of GDP2025
• War deaths0.0 per 100,0002025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.