Early history Human settlement on the present site of Guatemala City began with the native indigenous
Maya people, who built a large ceremonial center at
Kaminaljuyu. This large Maya settlement, the biggest outside the Maya lowlands in the
Yucatán Peninsula, of southeast
Mexico, rose to prominence around 2,300 years ago, about 300 B.C. due to an increase in mining and trading of
obsidian, a valuable commodity of volcanic glass (
Igneous rock) for the
Pre-Columbian American civilizations in
Mesoamerica. Kaminaljuyu then mysteriously collapsed around A.D. 300 for as yet unknown historical causes. More recent research, however, indicates that Kaminaljuyu’s economic and political decline occurred during the Late Classic period (AD 550–800), and that its ultimate collapse, driven by agricultural and political instability, severe droughts, and the diminishing lake, took place in the Terminal Classic period (AD 800–900). A series of
devastating earthquakes in 1773 had left the old provincial capital
Antigua Guatemala in ruins. This was the third earthquake the city experienced, after the
1717 earthquake and another in 1751. Thus, the Spanish decided to relocate the capital to somewhere safer. In 1776, the seat of government was moved to the current location of Guatemala City, located in a valley less prone to earthquakes. In the new capital, the central plaza became the sight of the city due to its premier landmark, the immense
neo-classical Metropolitan Cathedral,, which was mostly built between 1782–1815 and completed in 1871. It serves as the center of the country's
Roman Catholic Church, the cathedral of the
Archdiocese of Guatemala, and the residence of the current
Archbishop of Guatemala. Meanwhile, in Antigua Guatemala, work was done to rebuild structures like the
Palace of the Captain-General that were heavily damaged. This was the palace that then served as the headquarters for the colonial government of the
Captaincy General of Guatemala, from 1542 to independence in 1821. Today it serves as the site for several national government offices, police, tourism agencies, along with museum exhibits, including the
National Museum of Guatemalan Art. A half-century later, after the ratification of the
Act of Independence of Central America, the city became the capital of the newly organized independent
United Provinces of Central America in September 1821. The subsequent decades in the 19th century saw the construction of some significant structures in the town, such as the monumental
Carrera Theater in the 1850s, and the modern-day Presidential Palace of Guatemala in the 1890s, which is still occupied by the
president of Guatemala. At this time, the capital city was expanding around the 30 de Junio Boulevard and elsewhere, unfortunately displacing
indigenous peoples in the settlements on the peripheries of the city. The
1917-1918 earthquakes destroyed many historic structures from the era of the late 18th and early 19th centuries of the first period of Guatemala City capital history, erected during the 144 years after the previous devastating tremors of the
Santa Marta Earthquake of 1773. A decade later, under former military general and
president Jorge Ubico, who consolidated power into an authoritarian
dictatorship, Guatemala entered into a period of centralized control. After 13 years in power, Ubico was overthrown in the
Guatemalan Revolution of 1944, a democratic movement that still remains annually celebrated in the country, alongside the Independence Day of Central America. During the 1930s, amidst the
Great Depression that was affecting many nations' economies, Ubico's government began pursuing extensive public works such as a
hippodrome and new buildings. This included the design and construction of the
National Palace, built 1939–1943 as an official residence and headquarters for the President of the Republic. Despite this, the
slums that had formed following the 1917–1918 series of earthquakes continued to grow and spread, bringing with them the lack of basic infrastructure such as
potable water,
sewage treatment,
power lines, and paved and illuminated roads. Guatemala City continues to be subject to an unusual amount of natural and climate-related disasters, (especially recurring earthquakes) with the latest being the two disasters that struck simultaneously in May 2010: the eruption of the
Pacaya volcano and, two days later, the torrential downpours from
Tropical Storm Agatha of 2010.
Contemporary history Guatemala City serves as the economic, governmental, and cultural center of the nation of Guatemala. The city also functions as Guatemala's main transportation hub, hosting an international airport,
La Aurora International Airport, and serving as the origination or end points for most of Guatemala's major highways. The city, with its robust economy, attracts hundreds of thousands of rural migrants from Guatemala's interior hinterlands and serves as the main entry point for most foreign immigrants seeking to settle in Guatemala. In addition to a wide variety of restaurants, hotels, shops, and a modern
BRT transport system (
Transmetro), the city is home to many art galleries, theaters, sports venues and museums (including some fine collections of
Pre-Columbian art) and provides a growing number of cultural offerings. Guatemala City not only possesses a history and culture unique to the Central American region, it also furnishes all the modern amenities of a world class city, ranging from an
IMAX Theater to the Ícaro film festival (
Festival Ícaro), where independent films produced in Guatemala and Central America are debuted. ==Structure and growth==