ABSTRACT
The conquest of Guatemala lasted from 1523 to 1525. In late 1523, on Cortes's orders, Pedro de Alvarado set out to subjugate Guatemala. The population of Guatemala was made up of Quiches and Cakchiquels. The Spaniards gave the latter material assistance against the former, with whom they lived in perpetual conflict, only to discover too late that their allies wanted only to subdue them too. The people of Guatemala were more skillful than the Aztecs in defending their cities, which were built on rocky positions accessible only by narrow defiles. Allying with the Indians in the neighboring town of Guatemala, Alvarado seized the two paths leading to Uitlan and was able to set fire to the city. The founding of the Spanish city of Guatemala in July 1524 marked the end of the first phase of the conquest.
