Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Independence
By the time thoughts of independence from Spain began stirring among Guatemalans, soci-
ety was already rigidly stratified. Only the European-born Spaniards had any real power,
but the
criollos
(Guatemalan-born Spaniards) lorded it over the
ladinos
(of mixed Spanish
and Maya blood), who in turn exploited the indigenous population who still remain on the
bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder.
Angered at being repeatedly passed over for advancement, Guatemalan
criollos
success-
fully rose in revolt in 1821. Independence changed little for Guatemala's indigenous com-
munities, who remained under the control of the church and the landowning elite.
Mexico, which had recently become independent, quickly annexed Guatemala, but in
1823 Guatemala reasserted its independence and led the formation of the United Provinces
of Central America (July 1, 1823), along with El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa
Rica. Their union lasted only until 1840 before breaking up into its constituent states. This
era brought prosperity to the
criollos
but worsened the lot of the Guatemalan Maya. The
end of Spanish rule meant that the crown's few liberal safeguards, which had afforded the
Maya a minimal protection, were abandoned. The Maya, though technically and legally
free, were enslaved by debt peonage to the big landowners.
Guatemala finally recognized Belizean independence in 1992, but the exact border remains in dispute. An
agreement to take the matter to the International Court of Justice was signed in 2008.
