Economic and social discrimination against Guatemala's indigenous peoples, weak civilian control of the military, and the United States support of the government caused the civil war in Guatemala.  There are many more causes for the civil war in Guatemala but we have chosen to talk about these three. The Maya civilization dominated the region for nearly 2,000 years before the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century. Guatemala remained a Spanish colony for nearly 300 years, before gaining its independence in 1821. Guatemala recently emerged from a 36-year civil war, reestablishing a representative government in 1996.