colony · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Captaincy General of Guatemala

1524 CE – 1821 CE · capital Santiago de los Caballeros

The Spanish Kingdom of Guatemala, which governed Central America from Chiapas to Costa Rica for nearly three centuries.

Origins

Pedro de Alvarado conquered the highland Maya kingdoms from 1524 and founded Santiago de los Caballeros, first at Iximche. The capital moved to the Almolonga valley and, after a mudflow in 1541, to present-day Antigua. An audiencia was established in 1543 and seated in Santiago from 1549.

Rule and society

The Captaincy General, nominally under New Spain, governed Chiapas, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Its economy rested on indigenous tribute and labour, cacao and later indigo. Bartolomé de las Casas led peaceful missions in Verapaz. Santiago was a centre of Baroque architecture and learning until earthquakes in 1773 led to the founding of Guatemala City.

Decline and legacy

Central America declared independence on 15 September 1821, joined the First Mexican Empire briefly, and in 1823 formed the Federal Republic of Central America, except Chiapas, which stayed with Mexico.

Lineage

Cuzcatlan 1200 CE – 1528 CEK'iche' kingdom 1225 CE – 1524 CETz'utujil kingdom 1250 CE – 1524 CEMam kingdom 1250 CE – 1525 CEItza Kingdom of Nojpetén 1440 CE – 1697 CEKaqchikel kingdom 1470 CE – 1530 CECaptaincy General of GuatemalaFirst Mexican Empire 1821 CE – 1823 CEFederal Republic of Central America 1823 CE – 1841 CE

Connections (3)

  • Captaincy General of Guatemala was a colony of Spanish Empire1524 CE – 1821 CE
  • Captaincy General of Guatemala was part of New Spain1543 CE – 1821 CE
  • Sakbajlan was conquered by Captaincy General of Guatemala1695 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Captaincy General of Guatemala. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/captaincy-general-of-guatemala
MLA
“Captaincy General of Guatemala.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/captaincy-general-of-guatemala. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Captaincy General of Guatemala.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/captaincy-general-of-guatemala.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Captaincy General of Guatemala’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/captaincy-general-of-guatemala (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻