The Spanish conquest of Guatemala was a protracted conflict during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, in which Spanish colonizers gradually incorporated the territory that became the modern country of Guatemala into the colonial viceroyalty of New Spain. The Maya kingdoms resisted integration into the Spanish Empire with such tenacity that their defeat took almost two centuries. Pedro de Alvarado arrived in Guatemala from the newly conquered Mexico in early 1524, commanding a mixed force of Spanish conquistadors and native allies, mostly from Tlaxcala and Cholula. The Itza Maya and other lowland groups in the Petén Basin were first contacted by Hernán Cortés in 1525, but remained independent and hostile to the encroaching Spanish until 1697, when a concerted Spanish assault led by Martín de Urzúa y Arizmendi finally defeated the last independent Maya kingdom. The indigenous peoples of Guatemala lacked key elements of Old World technology such as a functional wheel, horses, steel and gunpowder; they were also extremely susceptible to Old World diseases, against which they had no resistance.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_conquest_of_Guatemala

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1776:

American Revolutionary War: The Great Fire of New York broke out during British occupation of New York City, destroying up to 1,000 buildings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_New_York_(1776)

1860:

Second Opium War: Anglo-French forces earned a decisive victory against Qing Dynasty troops in the Battle of Palikao, allowing them to capture Beijing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Palikao

1938:

The Great New England Hurricane made landfall on Long Island, New York, killing at least 500 people and injuring about 700 others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_New_England_hurricane

1942:

The prototype model of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, a four- engine heavy bomber that became one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II, flew for the first time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-29_Superfortress

1999:

A 7.6 Mw earthquake struck Jiji, Nantou County, Taiwan, killing 2,416 people, injuring over 11,000 others and causing about NT$300 billion in damage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/921_earthquake

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

infanticide: The murder of an infant. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/infanticide

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

While there is a chance of the world getting through its troubles, I hold that a reasonable man has to behave as though he were sure of it. If at the end your cheerfulness is not justified, at any rate you will have been cheerful. --H. G. Wells https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._G._Wells