Person

Rafael Carrera

1814–1865 · 19th century

Rafael Carrera was a Guatemalan caudillo of humble origins who in 1837 led a peasant revolt against the liberal government of the Federal Republic of Central America. His victory helped break up the federation, and he dominated Guatemala from 1839, intervening in El Salvador and Honduras. President from 1844 to 1848 and from 1851, he was made president for life in 1854 and ruled until his death in 1865 as a conservative ally of the Church.

Rafael Carrera
Image: Unidentified painter · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 4 profiles

Federal Republic of Central AmericaMilitary, Decline, SummaryRepublic of HondurasFoundation, MilitaryRepublic of El SalvadorFoundation, Military, SummaryRepublic of GuatemalaFoundation, Summary

Mentioned in 6 state histories

State of GuatemalaFederal Republic of Central AmericaState of El SalvadorState of Los AltosRepublic of El SalvadorRepublic of Guatemala

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Rafael Carrera. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rafael-carrera
MLA
“Rafael Carrera.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rafael-carrera. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Rafael Carrera.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rafael-carrera.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Rafael Carrera’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rafael-carrera (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻