The quetzal (;
code
In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
: GTQ) is the
currency
A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins.
A more general def ...
of
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
, named after the
national bird
This is a list of national birds, including official birds of overseas territories and other states described as nations. Most species in the list are officially designated. Some species hold only an "unofficial" status.
National birds
See al ...
of Guatemala, the
resplendent quetzal
The resplendent quetzal (''Pharomachrus mocinno'') is a small bird found in southern Mexico and Central America, with two recognized subspecies, ''P. m. mocinno'' and ''P. m. costaricensis''. These animals live in tropical forests, particularly ...
. In ancient
Mayan
Mayan most commonly refers to:
* Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
culture, the quetzal bird's tail feathers were used as currency. It is divided into 100 ''centavos,'' or ''len'' (plural ''lenes'') in Guatemalan
slang
Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...
. The plural is ''quetzales''.
History
The quetzal was introduced in 1925 during the term of President
José María Orellana
José María Orellana Pinto (11 July 1872 – 26 September 1926) was a Guatemalan political and military leader. He was chief of staff of President Manuel Estrada Cabrera and President of Guatemala between 1921 and 1926, after overthrowing Conse ...
, whose image appears on the obverse of the one-quetzal bill. It replaced the
Guatemalan peso
The ''peso'' was the currency of Guatemala between 1859 and 1925.
History
The peso replaced the ''real'', with 1 peso = 8 reales. In 1869, the ''centavo'' was introduced, worth one hundredth of a peso, but the real continued to be produced until ...
at the rate of 60 pesos = 1 quetzal. Until 1987, the quetzal was pegged to and domestically equal to the
United States dollar
The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...
.
Coins
![GCA Muenzen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/GCA_Muenzen.JPG)
In 1925,
coin
A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...
s in denominations of 1, 5, 10 centavos, , and 1 quetzal were introduced, although the majority of the 1 quetzal coins were withdrawn from circulation and melted. and 2 centavo coins were added in 1932. Until 1965, coins of 5 centavos and above were minted in 72% silver. and 1 quetzal coins were reintroduced in 1998 and 1999, respectively.
The coins currently in circulation are disc-shaped and include Guatemala's
national coat of arms on the obverse.
The coins, and their reverse designs are:
*1 centavo: Friar
Bartolomé de las Casas
*5 centavos: the
tree of liberty and the motto "''LIBRE CREZCA FECUNDO'' (''Grow free and fecund)"
''
*10 centavos: a monolith from
Quiriguá
Quiriguá () is an ancient Maya archaeological site in the department of Izabal in south-eastern Guatemala. It is a medium-sized site covering approximately along the lower Motagua River, with the ceremonial center about from the north bank. ...
*25 centavos: an indigenous woman,
Concepción Ramírez
María de la Concepción Ramírez Mendoza (8 March 1942 – 10 September 2021) was a peace activist from Guatemala, whose portrait appears on the Guatemalan 25 centavo coin, known as the ''choca''.
Biography
Ramírez was born on 8 March 1942 ...
*50 centavos:
Monja Blanca, the national flower
*1 quetzal: a stylized
dove, the word "''Paz (Peace)''", and the date “''
29 de Diciembre de 1996 (29 December 1996)''”
Banknotes
The first banknotes were issued by the
Central Bank of Guatemala
The Bank of Guatemala ( es, Banco de Guatemala) is the central bank of Guatemala. It was established in 1945.
It is one of the most recognized Brutalist themed architectural structures. Designed by architects José Montes Córdova and Raúl Mi ...
in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 100 quetzales, with quetzal notes added in 1933. In 1946, the Bank of Guatemala took over the issuance of
paper money, with the first issues being overprints on notes of the Central Bank. Except for the introduction of 50 quetzal notes in 1967, the denominations of banknotes remained unchanged until and 1 quetzal coins replaced notes at the end of the 1990s.
In the top-right corner of the obverse face of each banknote, the value is displayed in
Mayan numerals
The Mayan numeral system was the system to represent numbers and calendar dates in the Maya civilization. It was a vigesimal (base-20) positional numeral system. The numerals are made up of three symbols; zero (a shell), one (a dot) and f ...
, representing Guatemala's cultural history.
The Bank of Guatemala has introduced a
polymer banknote
Polymer banknotes are banknotes made from a synthetic polymer such as biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Such notes incorporate many security features not available in paper banknotes, including the use of metameric inks. Polymer banknote ...
of 1 quetzal on August 20, 2007, followed by a 5 quetzal polymer banknote on November 14, 2011.
Exchange rate
See also
*
Economy of Guatemala
The economy of Guatemala is a considered a developing economy, highly dependent on agriculture, particularly on traditional crops such as coffee, sugar, and bananas. Guatemala's GDP per capita is roughly one-third of Brazil's. The Guatemalan ec ...
References
External links
Banco de Guatemala
from the Banco de Guatemala page
{{Portal bar, Central America, Guatemala, Money, Numismatics
Currencies of Guatemala
Currencies introduced in 1925
Currency symbols