The National Flag constitutes one of the symbols most respected by the Guatemalans. It was created by decree of August 21, 1823 and modified by means of the decrees 12 and 33, of August 17 and November 18, 1871, by the currently president of the Republic, General Miguel Garcia Granados.

When the flag takes the national coat in the middle it takes the name of National Pavilion; his colors are blue and white, arranged in vertical fringes.

The blue represents justice and truth. The color white means purity, peace and the calmness that all the citizens wish to live.

hen we attended the step of the flag, we should put of foot and look at her with respect; equally, at the moment when to hoist it, we should discover and remain firm.

Swear

“Our flag, we swear to you lasting devotion,

perennial allegiance, honor, sacrifice

and hope until the hour of our death.

On behalf of the blood and the ground,

we swear to support your sublime on all the things;

in the prosperous days, and in the adverse days,

to stay awake and even to die,

and because you ripple perpetually on a worthy homeland.”

One wishes of Justo Rufino Barrios it consisted of providing an emblem to the Nation , which was made a reality by means of the Decree 33, by means of which the coat of arms is created.

The Swiss engraver Juan Bautista Frener designed it. The current coat of arms scarcely differs from the original, in which the quetzal was looking backwards and a strip of wood was joining two branches of laurel. A copy is in the Museum of History .

The decree of creation says: “Must be in harmony the coat of arms of the Republic with the political beginning of the Nation; in use of the faculties in which I find investiture Decree

The Only article: The weapons of the Republic will be: a coat with two rifles and two golden swords join with branches of laurel, in sky blue field.

The center will be covered with a parchment, which will contain the following legend in golden lettering: Freedom, on September 15, 1821; representing in the top part a Quetzal ( Pharomachrus mocinno ) , like symbol of the independence and autonomy of the Nation.

Given in Guatemala , to ten and eight of November of one thousand eight hundred sixty one. Miguel Garcia Granados. The Interior minister, Francisco Alburez”.

Author of the coat: Juan Bautista Frener

Owing to 50 years of the independence, in 1871, the president of the Republic, Miguel Garcia Granados, requests to the National Mint a design for such a commemoration. Juan Bautista Frener prepares the same one, waking up the sleep of the quetzal.

The president liked this one, that in November of this year, he declares Coat of arms of the Republic. Frener was born in Lucerne , Switzerland , on December 10, 1821. He cames to Guatemala for work as engraver at the National Mint when Rafael Carrera governs.

He design several coins and commemoratives medals that emphasize the achievement of Carrera, one of the best in the numismatic history of the country. He works also as artist and engraver with the administrations of the liberal governments. In Guatemala He realizes an excellent and fruitful work in the area of the engraving and coinage of coins.

In his native country he had made important works, like the commemorative medal to Guillermo Tell and the Italian musician Giuseppe Verdi. He died in the city of Guatemala on May 1, 1892. He was buried in the General Cemetery .

The Monja Blanca -lycaste skinneri Alba – was declared representative of the national flower on February 11, 1934, for presidential decree of General Jorge Ubico.

Leticia of Southerland, the president of the international exhibition of flowers, celebrated in Miami Beach , Florida , in 1933, sent to the Guatemalan Government the suggestion of which the Monja Blanca was named national flower.

The General Ubico, after having consulted to persons with a lot of knowledge , like misters Ulises Rojas and Mariano Pacheco H. and entities as the National Library and the Society of Geography and History, expressed the respective decree.

The Monja Blanca is one of 35 thousand species with which the family of the orchids, one of the most numerous of the nature.

The national flower is a plant epiphytic that exists in the Queen Zone, in the north occident of Guatemala , especially in Alta Verapaz.

he Monja Blanca is hermaphrodite and it produces a million of seeds that, nevertheless, they need from certain mushroom to germinate, for this reason it is a scarce plant and for the same, its commercialization is prohibited.

The Ceiba was declared a National Tree on initiative of the notable Guatemalan botanist Ulises Rojas. On March 8, 1955, Ceiba Pentandra ( Malvaceae ) was recognized as emblem representative of the Guatemalan flora, to symbolize the pride of our sovereign Mayan roots.

In accordance with investigations of the Academy of Geography and History, the frond of the Ceiba covers up to 1600 square meters . Also, it's a possessor of beautiful foliage and excellent medicinal properties.

Yaxché, as also it is called, it is considered to be a tree of the life, sacred tree, cradle of Xibalbá, hell of the Mayan and wise tree. It occupies the day Kam, first of Tehalamatl, or book of the days (calendar of twenty days) that served the Mesoamericans peoples as horoscope for the prophecy of the character, occupations and other future aspects of the life of the children.

During the Spanish domination there was supported the force of this knowledge and the traditions represented by the Ceiba, and it was planted on all the squares, next to the town council.

The quetzal happened to be a Bird National Symbol on November 8, 1871. His scientific name is Pharomachrus mocinno.

Pharomachrus in Greek wants to say big light, while mocinno is in honor to the Mexican naturalist of the XIX century, José Mariano Mociño, who took the first specimen to Europe .

His habitat are the cloudy forests, rainy forests, mountains of height, forests virgins with altitudes between 900 and three thousand 200 meters in this one there are aguacatillo. White pine, guarumo, balsam, oak and cypress, between others.

His distribution area goes from Chiapas , Mexico , until to the north region of Nicaragua .

n Guatemala it is at present in six established regions: Huehuetenango, Quiché, Alta Verapaz, Zacapa, north of El Progress and Izabal.

The University of San Carlos was established for his conservation in 1979 the Natural Reservation by Mario Dary Rivera, it is named as the Quetzal Biotope, in Purulhá, Baja Verapaz.

Tecún Umán was declared a National Hero and symbol of defence of the Guatemalan nationality by the Congress of the Republic, by means of the Decree No. 1334, March 22, 1960.

It was established on February 20 as the day of Tecún Umán, national hero.

In accordance with the anales of the kaqchikeles, Tecún Umán was dead for Don Pedro de Alvarado, in February 20, 1524, in the Pinar plains in the valley of Olintepeque , He find battle with the Spanish.

Tecún Umán fought protected for his nahual, the quetzal. His example of fearless and dignity, in the legend and the histories always been recognized in Guatemala as the most representative of the natives that fought for the defence of his territory and his people.

he defeat of the army quiché was because the kaqchikeles and tzutuhiles did not want to form only one front to defend themselves from the invaders.

His figure has been exalted of a lot of forms, but it is emphasize. The monumental sculpture of the Guatemalan artist Roberto González Goyri, which is the north occident of the Aurora zoo.

Considered a native symbol, the Guatemalan marimba of arch is identical to the tímbila that the African chopis execute.

According to Vida Chonowith, in his book “The marimba of Guatemala ”, from the first years of the XVII century black people begin to escape of Cuba ; the few ones that reached firm ground in the continent teaching to construct the natives of Guatemala .

For this one say that it was our country, where knew the tun or tunkul, which adopted enthusiastically the African marimba.

The marimba evolved during the XVII and XVIII centuries, but it is from 1880 to 1920 where it gets currently characteristics, when the quetzaltecos craftsmen convert it from simple marimba to double. For being a historical instrument of cultural, artistic and traditional value, the Congress of the Republic declared to the marimba national symbol.

By means of the decree 31-99 this instrument is dignified and force the Public Education Ministry cultivate the teaching of this instrument in the public and private schools, as recognition national of our culture, art and tradition Guatemalans.