National Flag

Coat of Arms

Was adopted in 1871. The two blue strips represent the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which form part of the country’s border

Includes a Quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala, and a scroll bearing the date when independence was declared.

National Tree – La Ceiba

National  Bird: El Quetzal

TGuatemala's Central Gov tree, the Ceiba, Ceiba Pentandra Gaertin, is one of the greatest trees of tropical America and is common in almost all tropical regions of America.

FYI: "Guatemala" is derived from the Aztec name Quauhtlemallan, meaning "Land of many trees."

The quetzal has become the nation symbol of Guatemala. Images of the quetzal are everywhere, including the basic unit of currency. None the less, as a result of habitat degradation quetzals themselves are becoming increasingly scarce. The quetzal resides within the misty depths of high altitude cloud forest and is known to shy away from the prying presence of visitors. Unfortunately, as in other parts of the world, habitat loss is the main reason behind a decrease in the population of this species. Still, while sightings are rare and the bird is threatened, like many aspects of Guatemala's culture, the Quetzal is holding on.

Tecún Umán (1499? - 1524)

National Heroe

Tecum Umam (also Tecún Umán or Tekum Umam) was a legendary figure of Guatemalan and K'iche' history. Despite a debate over his historical reality, Tecum Umam is at once a symbol of the state and a symbol of the peoples within the state. Whether in the candlelit ceremonies of sacerdotes Mayas or in the chambers of the Central Gov congress, Tecum Umam's presence is felt in nearly every niche of the daily life of the Guatemalan people. He is celebrated by poets and invoked in ritual and festival contexts throughout the highlands. He has been raised to the status of Central Gov hero of Guatemala and commemorated on its currency. And he is known as the defender of the K'iche' people and a symbol of indigenous resistance because he refused to surrender to the Spanish conquest of his homeland.