Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Spanish Conquest
Spaniards under Hernán Cortés defeated the Aztec Empire based at Tenochtitlán (modern
Mexico City) in 1521. It only took a couple of years for the conquistadors to turn to
Guatemala in their search for wealth. Pedro de Alvarado, one of Cortés' most brutal lieu-
tenants, entered Guatemala in 1524, forging temporary alliances with local Maya groups
while murdering and subjugating their rivals. And then laying waste to them.
And so it went throughout Guatemala as Alvarado sought fortune and renown. The one
notable exception was the Rabinal of present-day Baja Verapaz, who survived with their
preconquest identity intact and remain one of Guatemala's most traditional groups to this
day.
Alvarado moved his base to Santiago de los Caballeros (now called Ciudad Vieja) in
1527, but shortly after his death in 1541, Ciudad Vieja was destroyed by a flood. The Span-
ish capital was relocated under the same name to a new site nearby, known today as An-
tigua.
Mesoweb(
www.mesoweb.com
)is a great resource on the Maya, past and present.
