AGN, Guatemala’s state news agency, counts seven national symbols: the flag, the coat of arms, the quetzal, the monja blanca, the ceiba, the marimba and Tecún Umán. The instruments AGN and the other publishers name run from Decree No. 12 of 17 August 1871 for the flag to Decree 31-99 of 1999, which made the marimba a national symbol.
In short: National flower: the monja blanca orchid (11 February 1934). National tree: the ceiba (8 March 1955). National bird: the quetzal (a symbol since 1871). National hero: Tecún Umán (Decree 1334, 22 March 1960). The marimba is the national instrument under Decree 66-78 (1978) and a national symbol under Decree 31-99 (1999). The flag and coat of arms date from two decrees of 1871.
The seven symbols and the law behind each
| Symbol | What it is | Instrument and date | Who prints it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | Sky blue, white, sky blue, with the coat of arms | Decree No. 12, 17 August 1871 | AGN |
| Coat of arms | Quetzal, scroll, rifles, swords, laurel | Executive Decree No. 33, 18 November 1871 | Ministry of Culture; AGN |
| Quetzal | National bird | Symbol since 1871; AGN dates its declaration to 18 November 1871, the coat-of-arms decree | AGN |
| Monja blanca | National flower, an orchid | Presidential decree of General Jorge Ubico, 11 February 1934 | AGN; INAB |
| Ceiba | National tree, Ceiba pentandra | Government agreement (acuerdo gubernativo) signed by Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas, 8 March 1955 | AGN |
| Tecún Umán | National hero, a K’iche’ prince | Decree 1334 of the Congress of the Republic, 22 March 1960 | AGN |
| Marimba | National instrument, then national symbol | Decree 66-78 (17 October 1978), national instrument; Decree 31-99 (1999), national symbol | Decree 66-78 text (Ministry of Culture); Ministry of Culture statement, 20 February 2026; AGN |
All read 10 November 2026; links in Sources. None of these publishers prints a decree number for the 1934 flower decree or the 1955 tree agreement, or a separate instrument for the quetzal, so the table leaves them unnumbered.
How many symbols? The count depends on who is listing. AGN’s 9 September 2026 article says seven. The Ministry of Culture’s 2021 CulturaGuate article on the coat of arms calls it one of five symbols and names the other four as the flag, the ceiba, the monja blanca and the quetzal. The two missing from the 2021 list are the ones whose own laws name them: Decree 1334 calls Tecún Umán national hero and, in the wording the Secretaría Ejecutiva SCEP posted on 20 February 2023, símbolo patrio; Decree 31-99 calls the marimba a national symbol.
Flag and coat of arms
Both date from the liberal government of Miguel García Granados in 1871. What the colours and each element of the coat of arms mean, the 1968 regulation and Flag Day are on our Guatemala flag meaning page.
Quetzal: national bird
AGN describes the quetzal as a symbol of liberty, autonomy and the independence of the nation, a national symbol since 1871. It measures roughly 30 to 38 centimetres, nests in Guatemala’s cloud forests such as the Verapaces, and the male’s long tail matters in courtship. On the coat of arms it perches above the scroll; AGN’s report on the National Palace relief dates its declaration as symbol bird to 18 November 1871, the date of the coat-of-arms decree. Where to see one in the wild, including the Biotopo del Quetzal, is on our birdwatching guide.
Monja blanca: national flower
The forestry institute INAB’s February 2023 bulletin says the monja blanca was designated national flower on 11 February 1934; AGN adds that it was a presidential decree of General Jorge Ubico Castañeda. INAB gives the scientific name as Lycaste virginalis (Scheidw.) Linden and explains the common name: the centre of the flower looks like a nun praying.
- Where it grows (INAB): cloud forest, especially Alta Verapaz, and also Baja Verapaz, Zacapa, Izabal, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Chimaltenango, Suchitepéquez and Petén, as well as southern Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador.
- When it flowers (AGN): between October and February, each flower lasting four to six weeks.
- The name debate (INAB): some botanists class the near-white form as Lycaste virginalis f. alba, a name INAB says is still awaiting acceptance.
- The legend (INAB, labelled as legend): in a Q’eqchi’ story, a beautiful princess was turned into the flower.
Ceiba: national tree
AGN reports that the ceiba was declared national tree and national symbol on 8 March 1955, through an agreement signed by Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas; the proposal came from the Salvadoran botanist Sixto Padilla and was taken forward by the Guatemalan botanist Ulises Rojas. It names the species Ceiba pentandra, native to the Americas, and notes that it appears on the five-centavo coin. For the Maya worldview, AGN writes, the ceiba was the tree of life, linking people with the sky and the underworld, and its main branches open towards the four cardinal points. On size, AGN’s own articles differ: more than 50 metres (2026) or up to 70 metres (2020), with a trunk about 3 metres across.
Tecún Umán: national hero
AGN reports that the K’iche’ prince Tecún Umán was declared national hero on 22 March 1960 by Decree No. 1334, and that every 20 February is dedicated to his memory. The initiative dates from 1959, from the Comité Pro Exaltación del Héroe Tecún Umán, promoted by Rafael Téllez García and Jaime Pérez Aguilar. In 1964 his face was put on the fifty-centavo note.
On the history behind the symbol, AGN cites a 1962 investigation by the Sociedad de Geografía e Historia dating the battle between a K’iche’ warrior and Pedro de Alvarado to 12 February 1524, on the Llanos del Pinal near today’s Quetzaltenango. AGN says the figure is known from the Indigenous land titles, which it describes as narratives mixing history and legend (the titles of the Ixquin-Nehaib house narrate the battle), and from the Cartas de Relación and Spanish chronicles. It adds that the Indigenous chronicles and the chronicler Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán agree that the prince existed.
Marimba: instrument and symbol
The text of Decree 66-78, published by the Ministry of Culture, declares the marimba the national instrument (article 1) and 20 February of each year Marimba Day (article 2); it was issued by Congress on 17 October 1978. The Ministry’s 20 February 2026 statement adds that Decree 31-99 later recognised the marimba as a national symbol. AGN quotes article 1 of that decree: “Se declara la marimba como símbolo nacional por ser un instrumento histórico de valor cultural, de arte y tradición de los guatemaltecos”. The decree’s summary in the Justia legal database adds that the Ministry of Education is to ensure marimba teaching in public and private schools, and that the Ministry of Culture is to promote the marimba as a national symbol every September.
On 12 February 2015 the Organization of American States declared the Guatemalan marimba Cultural Heritage of the Americas (AGN; Ministry of Culture). AGN’s articles are inconsistent on the marimba’s dates (one says it became a national symbol in 1955, another that it became the national instrument in 1999); the decree texts above settle them. The 2027 date and how the day is celebrated are on our National Marimba Day page.
Sources
All read 10 November 2026.
- AGN: Cuáles son los símbolos patrios de Guatemala, 9 September 2026: the seven symbols, quetzal, ceiba, monja blanca dates.
- AGN: La ceiba, árbol de la vida con sombra acogedora, 12 September 2020: 8 March 1955 agreement, Castillo Armas, Maya cosmology, five-centavo coin.
- INAB: De princesa a Flor Nacional, así es la historia de la Monja Blanca, bulletin, February 2023.
- AGN: La marimba y Tecún Umán, dos grandes símbolos, 20 February 2023: Decree 1334, the 1959 initiative, the 1524 battle, Decree 66-78.
- Decreto 66-78, La Marimba Instrumento Nacional, decree text hosted by the Ministry of Culture’s SIC portal.
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes: La marimba, emblema de identidad y orgullo nacional, 20 February 2026: Decrees 66-78 and 31-99, OAS 2015.
- AGN: La marimba, instrumento nacional y símbolo patrio de Guatemala, 8 September 2020: article 1 of Decree 31-99.
- Justia Guatemala: Decreto No 31-1999, summary of the decree (secondary legal database).
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, CulturaGuate: Escudo de Armas, 18 November 2021: Executive Decree No. 33; five symbols.
- AGN: Conozca el escudo de armas que está hecho con elementos reales, 9 September 2020: quetzal declared symbol bird 18 November 1871.
- AGN: Guatemala conmemora el Día de la Bandera, 17 August 2023: Decrees No. 12 and No. 33 of 1871.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Guatemala's seven national symbols, and when was each declared?
AGN lists the flag (Decree No. 12, 17 August 1871), the coat of arms (Executive Decree No. 33, 18 November 1871), the quetzal (a symbol since 1871), the monja blanca orchid (presidential decree of 11 February 1934), the ceiba tree (government agreement of 8 March 1955), the marimba (national instrument by Decree 66-78 of 1978, national symbol by Decree 31-99 of 1999) and Tecún Umán (Decree 1334 of 22 March 1960).
What is Guatemala's national flower?
The monja blanca (white nun), an orchid that INAB names Lycaste virginalis. It was designated the national flower on 11 February 1934; AGN says by presidential decree of General Jorge Ubico. INAB explains the name: the centre of the flower looks like a nun praying.
What is Guatemala's national tree?
The ceiba, Ceiba pentandra. AGN reports it was declared national tree and national symbol on 8 March 1955 by a government agreement signed by Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas. It appears on the five-centavo coin.
What is Guatemala's national bird?
The quetzal. AGN says it has been a national symbol since 1871, measures about 30 to 38 centimetres and nests in cloud forests such as the Verapaces. It stands for liberty on the coat of arms.
Who was Tecún Umán and why is he a national symbol?
A K’iche’ prince. Decree 1334 of the Congress of the Republic, dated 22 March 1960, declared him national hero, and he is honoured every 20 February. AGN dates his battle with Pedro de Alvarado to 12 February 1524, citing 1962 research by the Sociedad de Geografía e Historia.
Is the marimba a national symbol or the national instrument?
Both, by two different laws. Decree 66-78 (dated 17 October 1978) declared it the national instrument and set 20 February as Marimba Day; Decree 31-99 of 1999 declared it a national symbol.
