Gold and silver are found near Montagua River and elsewhere; salt in the departments of Alta Verapaz and Santa Rosa. Other minerals are: coal, lignite, manganese, lead, tin, cinna bar, copper, kaolin, opals, slate, alum, antimony, marble, alabaster, sulphur, ochre, asbestos, plumbago, chalk and bitumen. A belt of coun try extending from the coast range of moun tains on the western frontier, near the Pacific. across the Sierra Madre to th,e coast range of the Caribbean slope, is essentially a mineral ter ritory, in which there has been comparatively little systematic exploiting or prospecting.
History.— Pedro de Alvarado, one of the lieutenants of Cortes, 1523-24 conquered the country, and on 25 July 1524 proclaimed the sovereignty of Spain at Almolonga, the native town which was afterward to be known as Santiago de los Caballeros. After the conquest all of the territory now divided among the Cen tral American countries was included in the Captain-generalcy of Guatemala. Independence of Spanish rule was proclaimed 15 Sept. 1821. Annexation to the Mexican empire under Itur bide followed (5 Jan. 1822). An assembly of representative citizens of Guatemala and the other Central American provinces on 1 July 1823 declared the whole country to be independent, with reference to Mexico, Spain and all other nations, "whether of the Old or of the New World? Accordingly the United Provinces of Central America came into existence. Guate mala seceded from this union 17 April 1839. The name Repiablica de Guatemala was assumed 21 March 1847. Between 1839 and 1851 there was a series of bitter struggles with Salvador for supremacy, fortune favoring the smaller re public. But in the year last mentioned Guate mala began to be successful, and, under the leadership of Rafael Carrera (president until 1856, and subsequently life-president or dicta tor), carried the war into Salvador (1863) and regained the controlling position in Central America. Carrera appointed his own successor and died in 1865. The next significant admin istration was that of Gen. Justo Rufino Barrios, who was put into office by the Liberals, after their onslaught upon the Jesuits. Barillas was elected to the presidency in 1886. In 1890 and 1891 the progress of the country was checked by epidemics of cholera and smallpox. On 15 March 1892 Jose Maria Reim Barrios was in augurated as president, and by a decree of the National Assembly (30 Aug. 1897) his term was extended to 15 March 1902, in direct viola tion of the constitution, which was proclaimed in 1879 and modified in 1885, 1887 and 1889.
He was assassinated 8 Feb. 1898 Senor Manuel Estrada Cabrera was proclaimed acting presi dent, and received the support of the army. An insurrection begun under General Castillo's leadership 28 July was put down, but only to be quickly followed by another revolutionary move ment. Insurgent forces commanded by Morales offered a stubborn resistance in the southwest, until Morales was captured. When peace had been restored, Cabrera was the only candidate for the presidency, and his election was an nounced 25 Sept. 1898. In the following year the government of Guatemala made a proposi tion which was equivalent to repudiation of a part of its foreign debt, but yielded to Ger many's protest, or threat, to use force and withdrew the suggestion. Earthquakes which occurred in April 1902 caused great damage in several districts. Amatitlan, Mazatenango, San Marcos, Solola and San Felipe suffered severely, and Quezaltenango, in importance the second city of the republic, was totally destroyed. An eruption of the volcano Santa Maria followed on 24 October, and there were outbursts from new craters in November. Several thousand persons lost their lives through these disasters, and the injury to property (plantations, build ings, machinery and cattle) has been estimated at $5,000,000 to $10,000,000. A convention be tween the United States and Guatemala relat ing to the tenure and disposition of real and personal property was signed 27 Aug. 1901; and ratifications exchanged at Guatemala 16 Sept. 1902. A revolt in 1906, under the leadership of General Barillas, spread to the other Central American countries. The governments of the United States and Mexico interposed. An ar mistice (19 July) served not only to restore order for the time being, but also paved the way for the Central American Peace Conference held at Washington in 1907. In 1910 Cabrera's third complete term as President began. In 1913 Great Britain sent a warship to Guatemala and demanded settlement of claims. The country without a navy appealed to the United States, and an agreement was made in regard to the debt. In 1915 a boundary treaty was signed with Honduras. In 1917 Cabrera was re-elected President for the ensuing six years. Guate mala was the first of the Central American na tions to sever diplomatic relations with Ger many in connection with the European War and to place the ports and railways of the country at the disposition of the United States for the common defense. Guatemala city was de stroyed by earthquake in December 1917.