Third Central American War 1906

Intervention in the internal politics of neighboring states caused several wars between the Central American republics; the dictatorial presidents of the five republics often plotted to unseat their counterparts in neighboring states. The re-election of Guatemalan president Manuel Estrada Cabrera, for the term 1905–1911, caused substantial discontent; his Liberal opponents claimed he was aiming at a dictatorship, repressing political opposition and warmongering. Supported by the government of El Salvador, General Manuel Barillas, a former president of Guatemala, organized a well-armed Guatemalan revolutionary army, which even included some 200 adventurers recruited from San Francisco (California, USA), to overthrow Cabrera.

The invasion of Guatemala began on May 23, 1906. Guatemalan revolutionary forces, under the leadership of Barillas, attacked from Mexico, British Honduras (now Belize) and El Salvador; Salvadoran regulars also participated in the invasion. In the north, Ocos, a port on the Pacific coast of Guatemala near the Mexican border, was captured by a rebel force of 500 men by May 27th. In the south, a combined army of Guatemalan rebels and Salvadoran regulars, numbering 2,000 men, marched into Guatemala. Rebel forces claimed further victories in early June. But Cabrera held his ground, and even gained several indecisive victories; the general uprising the rebel leadership expected did not happen. Instead, the Guatemalan armed forces went on the offensive. Salvadorans defeated a Guatemalan attack on Metapan while Honduras formally declared war on Guatemala on July 14th. On July 15th, the Salvadoran army defeated a Guatemalan attack at Platanar inflicting an estimated (by Salvadoran sources) 2,000 casualties, while Honduran forces reportedly repulsed a Guatemalan invasion force.

The joint intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt of the USA and President Porfirio Diaz of Mexico brought about an armistice on the July 19th, and the so-called “Marblehead Pact” was signed on the following day by El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras (representatives of Costa Rica and Nicaragua were also present during the talks), July 20, 1906, on board the American cruiser USS Marblehead, ending the war. The terms of the armistice were embodied in a peace treaty signed on September 28th by representatives of the belligerent states of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras as well as Costa Rica. Nicaragua initially refused to participate, then the government agreed to participate as well but finally withdrew support because, it was argued, Nicaragua was not one of the belligerents. The treaty included regulations for the improvement of commerce and navigation in the area affected by the war, and provided for the settlement of subsequent disputes by the arbitration of the United States and Mexico.

References

Clodfelter, 675; COW88; EB - Guatemala; El Salvador - A Country Study; Honduras - A Country Study

Category

Inter-State War

Region

Central America

Belligerents

El Salvador, Guatemala, Guatemalan Liberals, Honduras

Dispute

Governance

Initiation Date

May 23, 1906

Termination Date

July 20, 1906

Duration

68 days

Outcome

Negotiated Settlement
(Mediated by Mexico/USA)

Fatalities

Total: 1,000
El Salvador:300
Guatemala: 400
Honduras: 300

Magnitude

3.0