Guatemala Celebrates 100 Years of Quetzal

The Guatemalan currency, the quetzal, was introduced in 1924, and is named after the Resplendent Quetzal, the Central American country’s national bird (the tail feathers of which were used as currency in ancient Mayan culture). The Q1 commemorative banknote, released in September 2024, is only the second commemorative banknote in the history of Banco de Guatemala (Banguat), and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the quetzal as the national monetary unit.

The note also celebrates General José María Orellana, President of Guatemala 1921-1926. Under his mandate, the first monetary reform of the country took place, with a fixed monetary unit and a central banking system; it was during his government that the quetzal monetary unit was created.

This banknote maintains similarity to the design of the last editions of this denomination in terms of its dominant green. Unlike its predecessor, it has been produced on paper rather than polymer. And significantly, it also features a varifeye® ColourChange security patch. Its dimensions are 156mm x 67mm.