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Today, the lands once occupied by the ancient Mayan civilization fall within the boundaries of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. Guatemala, a country of over 14 million that officially recognizes several Mayan-derived Indian languages—along with Spanish—has many direct descendants of the ancient Mayans among its people.
The ancient Mayan culture is believed to have taken shape between 1500 BC and AD 100 in the Pacific highlands of Guatemala and El Salvador. Beginning around AD 250, Mayan civilization entered what is now called its Classic Period, when the great city-states whose ruins define La Ruta Maya began to be built. This period lasted until about AD 900, after which many Mayan cities were abandoned. Some cities, however, particularly on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, survived centuries longer, in a post-Classical period that extended as late as the 16th century.
At the beginning of the Classical Period, Tikal (now in Guatemala) was already well established. Early in the third century AD, a king named Yax Moch Xoc ruled Tikal and began a dynasty that lasted for the next 400 years. Yax Moch Xoc and his successors expanded their city-state by conquering surrounding kingdoms until Tikal had a population estimated at 100,000 by the middle of the sixth century. Then Tikal itself was conquered by Caracol (now in Belize), which ruled the area for over a century. A ruler named Moon Double Comb brought renewed greatness to Tikal early in the eighth century, building most of the great temples that still stand around the Great Plaza today. Tikal declined around AD 900, at the end of the Classic Period, with its population slowly dispersing and its buildings becoming overgrown by luxuriant tropical vegetation.
When the Europeans arrived in the 16th century, they encountered several remaining Mayan groups. Spanish soldiers under Pedro de Alvarado completed the conquest of Guatemala in 1548 after pitting several of these indigenous groups against each other. Once it began, Spanish rule continued here until 1821. At this point, Guatemala briefly became part of Mexico before joining a short-lived federation known as The United Provinces of Central America.
The early years of the 20th century were marked by dictatorships and foreign influence. After the dictatorship of General Jorge Ubico was overthrown in 1944, Guatemala experienced its “ten years of spring,” an extended period of reform, progress, and personal freedom.
In 1960, the U.S. supported government, the paramilitary, and the Cuba-backed left-wing insurgents began a brutal Guatemalan Civil War sparked by a number of social and economic factors. The low point of the 36-year internal conflict was the violent presidency of Rios Mont. During his rule thousands of unarmed civilians were killed.
In 1986, the election of President Vinicio Cerezo brought reform and a period of relative peace. In 1994, the Commission for Historical Clarification sought to end 36 years of violence and corruption; a peace accord was signed in 1996. Since the end of the civil war, a series of successful reforms and democratic elections has inspired hope for the country’s recovery.