Guatemala’s national anthem has lyrics by the Cuban poet José Joaquín Palma and music by Rafael Álvarez Ovalle of San Juan Comalapa. Palma’s poem won a contest called by President José María Reina Barrios and was chosen on 28 October 1896 without his name on it; he kept his authorship secret for years. The words sung today are not exactly Palma’s. In 1934, on General Jorge Ubico’s orders, the poet José María Bonilla Ruano toned down the war-song language, and his version is still the official one (Ministry of Culture and Sports, communiqué of 24 October 2025). The anthem has four stanzas and four choruses and opens with ¡Guatemala feliz…!
In short: Contest called 24 July 1896. Lyrics chosen 28 October 1896 from an anonymous entry. Music by Álvarez Ovalle chosen in a second contest (AGN: accord of 19 February 1897). First performed at the Teatro Colón, Guatemala City (AGN: 14 March 1897). Lyrics revised by Bonilla Ruano in 1934. National Anthem Day is 24 October, official since 1984.
Timeline
| Date | What happened | Who says so |
|---|---|---|
| 1867 | Ramón P. Molina’s Guatemala, en tu limpia bandera is sung as an unofficial anthem | AGN, 3 May 2021 |
| 1888 | President Manuel Lisandro Barillas calls a contest for music to Ramón Molina’s lyrics; Álvarez Ovalle’s composition is chosen, but critics find the lyrics unsuitable | AGN, 13 Sep 2022 (historian Miguel Álvarez) |
| 24 July 1896 | President José María Reina Barrios calls a literary and musical contest for a national anthem | Ministry of Culture, 24 Oct 2025 |
| 24 July to 15 October 1896 | Contest open; 12 entries delivered | AGN, 3 May 2021 |
| 28 October 1896 | Palma’s lyrics chosen, entered anonymously; the same accord opens a contest for the music | Ministry of Culture; AGN, 3 May 2021 |
| 19 February 1897 | Accord names Álvarez Ovalle’s music the winner | AGN, 3 May 2021 |
| 14 March 1897 | First performance, Teatro Colón, Guatemala City; AGN 2022 says Reina Barrios made the composition the national anthem that day | AGN, 3 May 2021 and 13 Sep 2022 |
| 1910 or 1911 | Palma’s authorship becomes known (see below) | AGN 2022 (1910); Ministry of Culture (1911) |
| 26 July 1934 | Government accord reforms the lyrics; revision by José María Bonilla Ruano on Ubico’s orders | AGN, 3 May 2021; Ministry of Culture |
| 1984 | 24 October made official as National Anthem Day | Ministry of Culture; AGN, 13 Sep 2022 |
The 1896 contest and the anonymous poem
Before 1896 Guatemala had no official anthem. AGN, the state news agency, reports that the official document calling the 1896 contest stated in its preamble that the country lacked one, and that the verses then sung unofficially had notable defects. The contest sought the best lyrics and music, ran from 24 July to 15 October 1896, and drew 12 entries. The jury picked the one beginning ¡Guatemala feliz!, signed Anónimo (AGN, 3 May 2021).
The Ministry of Culture says Palma kept his authorship secret until 1911, the year of his death. AGN’s 2022 report, quoting historian Miguel Álvarez, says Palma accepted that he was the author in 1910. The two government sources differ by a year; both put the reveal well over a decade after the 1896 choice.
Wikipedia’s Spanish article on the anthem (a secondary source) reproduces the jury’s report, dated 27 October 1896 and signed by José Leonard, J. J. Palma and F. Castañeda. If that transcription is accurate, Palma sat on the jury that chose his own anonymous poem.
The music
Once the poem was chosen, a new call went out for the music, and the score by Rafael Álvarez Ovalle won (Ministry of Culture). AGN dates the accord naming him the winner to 19 February 1897. AGN’s 2022 report adds that losing entrants complained, and that the piece was put to another contest alongside nine other works and won again. It was not his first win: his music had already been chosen in the 1888 contest for Ramón Molina’s lyrics (AGN, 2022).
The composer was from San Juan Comalapa, Chimaltenango. His museum there is on our San Juan Comalapa murals and museums page.
The 1934 revision
The Ministry of Culture says Palma’s original lyrics showed the influence of his experience in Cuba and read close to a war song. In 1934, on the orders of General Jorge Ubico, the Guatemalan poet José María Bonilla Ruano changed the bellicose expressions and adapted the verses. AGN describes the aim of the government accord of 26 July 1934 as giving the lyrics better harmony, softening some verses and correcting some historical concepts. The Bonilla Ruano text is the version in force today.
The words: first stanza and chorus
The Instituto Nacional de Cooperativas (INACOP) prints the anthem on its website. Its first stanza and chorus read:
¡Guatemala feliz…! que tus aras no profane jamás el verdugo; ni haya esclavos que laman el yugo ni tiranos que escupan tu faz. Si mañana tu suelo sagrado lo amenaza invasión extranjera, libre al viento tu hermosa bandera a vencer o a morir llamará.
Coro: Libre al viento tu hermosa bandera a vencer o a morir llamará; que tu pueblo con ánima fiera antes muerto que esclavo será.
A literal English rendering (our translation, not an official one): Happy Guatemala! May the executioner never profane your altars, nor may there be slaves who lick the yoke, nor tyrants who spit in your face. If tomorrow foreign invasion threatens your sacred soil, your beautiful flag, free in the wind, will call to conquer or to die. Chorus: Your beautiful flag, free in the wind, will call to conquer or to die; for your people, with fierce spirit, would rather be dead than slaves.
INACOP’s web text has evident typing errors in later verses (for example tu forjaste without the accent), so it is not reproduced here as an authoritative full text. In INACOP’s version the later stanzas turn to chains forged into a plough and a sword, to the flag as a piece of sky, and, in the last stanza, to the quetzal, the bird on the coat of arms. The flag’s colours and the coat of arms are explained on our flag meaning guide, and the other symbols on Guatemala’s national symbols.
National Anthem Day, 24 October
The Ministry of Culture says 24 October was made official in 1984 to honour the anthem’s two authors, and AGN reports that civic acts are held across the country that day. For the September independence programme, see our Independence Day guide. Guatemala’s Congress decree pages could not be loaded in November 2026, so no decree number is given here for the anthem or for Anthem Day.
Sources
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, Símbolo de la Patria: Guatemala conmemora el Día del Himno Nacional cada 24 de octubre, communiqué of 24 October 2025, https://www.prensa.gob.gt/comunicado/simbolo-de-la-patria-guatemala-conmemora-el-dia-del-himno-nacional-cada-24-de-octubre (read 13 November 2026 UTC).
- AGN, Bicentenario: Así se creó el himno nacional de Guatemala, 3 May 2021, https://agn.gt/bicentenario-asi-se-creo-el-himno-nacional-de-guatemala (read 13 November 2026 UTC).
- AGN, Conozca la historia de la creación del himno nacional, 13 September 2022, https://agn.gt/conozca-la-historia-de-la-creacion-del-himno-nacional (read 13 November 2026 UTC).
- INACOP, Himnos, https://www.inacop.gob.gt/himnos/ (read 13 November 2026 UTC).
- Wikipedia (secondary), Himno Nacional de Guatemala, https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_Nacional_de_Guatemala (read 13 November 2026 UTC), for the jury report only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Guatemala's national anthem, and when?
The lyrics are by the Cuban poet José Joaquín Palma and the music by Rafael Álvarez Ovalle, from San Juan Comalapa, Chimaltenango. President José María Reina Barrios called the contest on 24 July 1896, Palma’s lyrics were chosen without his name on 28 October 1896, and Álvarez Ovalle’s music won the follow-up music contest (Ministry of Culture, 24 October 2025).
Why was the lyricist's name kept secret?
Palma entered as Anónimo and did not reveal his authorship. The Ministry of Culture says he kept it secret until 1911, the year he died; a 2022 AGN report quoting historian Miguel Álvarez dates his admission to 1910.
Were the words changed?
Yes. The Ministry of Culture says Palma’s original had the tone of a war song shaped by his experience in Cuba, so in 1934, on General Jorge Ubico’s orders, the Guatemalan poet José María Bonilla Ruano revised the lyrics. AGN dates the revision to a government accord of 26 July 1934. The Bonilla Ruano version is the one in force today.
When and where was the anthem first performed?
At the Teatro Colón in Guatemala City. AGN gives the date as 14 March 1897.
How many verses does Guatemala's anthem have?
Four stanzas and four choruses, according to the Ministry of Culture. The first line is ¡Guatemala feliz…!
When is National Anthem Day in Guatemala?
24 October. The Ministry of Culture says the date was made official in 1984 to honour the anthem’s authors, Rafael Álvarez Ovalle and José Joaquín Palma.
