Guatemala Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands

The land of today's Guatemala appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 7 different states, among them Guatemala, Maya chiefdoms and states, Viceroyalty of New Spain, Maya states, Maya city-states.

Guatemala

Explore the history of Guatemala in the interactive map

Compare 1000 with today

Who ruled the land of Guatemala, map by map

Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.

Battles and historic sites

Landmarks

• TikalRuins · AD 700

Questions

Which empires and states ruled the territory of Guatemala?

On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Guatemala belonged to Guatemala, Maya chiefdoms and states, Viceroyalty of New Spain, Maya states, Maya city-states, Winaq Qo’ (Mam), along with 1 other states.

What was Guatemala part of in 1000?

On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Guatemala lay within Maya city-states.

What was Guatemala part of in 1900?

On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Guatemala lay within Guatemala.

Further reading

• History of Guatemala in Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of Guatemala on Wikipedia

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.