The pinabete (Abies guatemalensis) is Guatemala’s traditional Christmas tree, a tradition since the 1960s according to Soy502, and it is also an endemic, protected species. The rule for anyone who wants one in the living room this December is short: buy only a tree that comes from an authorised plantation and carries the INAB/CONAP tag, the marchamo. Everything else in this guide is the detail behind that rule, from what the national forestry institute (INAB), the protected-areas council (CONAP) and the Ley de Áreas Protegidas say, with the prices that were published with a date.
This guide covers buying and moving a pinabete inside Guatemala. It does not cover taking one abroad.
Quick summary: Legal to sell: trees, wreaths and garlands from authorised plantations with a marchamo. Not legal: sprigs from natural forest. The tag is white on trees and white with a black background on wreaths and garlands. You may carry up to 6 trees and 13 by-products with their tags; more needs an INAB shipping note (nota de envío). Trafficking threatened flora carries 5 to 10 years in prison and a Q10,000 to Q20,000 fine (Decreto 4-89, Art. 82). 2026 season: not announced as of September 29, 2026; in 2025 the fairs opened on November 21, with the capital’s fair at the Mercado de Artesanías La Aurora, zona 13.
What is legal to buy
On October 29, 2025, launching that season’s national pinabete conservation campaign, CONAP and INAB set out the rule, as reported by the government news agency AGN:
- Allowed: trees, wreaths and garlands “provenientes de plantaciones autorizadas que portan el marchamo correspondiente”, that is, from authorised plantations and carrying the corresponding tag.
- Not allowed: sprigs (ramillas) from natural pinabete forests, because those trees are the main seed producers, a refuge for wildlife and a source of water recharge.
CONAP noted that the pinabete is on Guatemala’s list of threatened species (LEA). Prensa Libre, citing INAB, describes it as endemic to Guatemala, growing mainly in mountain regions above 2,400 metres.
How to recognise the tag
| Product | Marchamo | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tree | White | INAB and CONAP, via AGN (December 2020 and December 2024) |
| Wreath or garland | White with a black background | INAB and CONAP, via AGN (December 2020 and December 2024) |
| Any product | Sequential number and the INAB and CONAP legend | CONAP, via AGN (October 2025) |
AGN’s 2020 wording: “se colocan marchamos blancos a los pinabetes autorizados para venderse”, white tags are placed on the pinabetes authorised for sale (AGN, December 1, 2020). At the 2025 fair, Prensa Libre described the tag as a black-and-white marchamo that certifies the sale is legal. Soy502 reported that the 2025 fair products carried the INAB/CONAP marchamo, which guarantees they come from authorised, responsibly managed plantations.
How many you can carry
INAB and CONAP said on December 7, 2024, per AGN, that under the rules in force you may freely transport a maximum of six trees and 13 by-products (wreaths and garlands), only with their marchamos. Above that number you need a shipping note (nota de envío) issued by INAB.
The police are on the roads for it. For 2025, the National Civil Police’s nature-protection division (Diprona) announced operations from November 21 to December 21 on highways, in natural pinabete forests and in markets, to check that no pinabete was being moved illegally (AGN).
What the law says
Article 82 of the Ley de Áreas Protegidas, Decreto 4-89 (as reformed by Decreto 110-96), covers illegal trafficking of flora and fauna. In its words, the penalty is “prisión de cinco a diez años y multa de diez mil a veinte mil quetzales”, five to ten years in prison and a fine of ten to twenty thousand quetzales, for anyone who illegally transports, exchanges, sells or exports live or dead specimens, parts or derivatives of wild flora and fauna threatened with extinction, endemic species, or species on CONAP’s lists of threatened species.
Article 81 bis of the same law sets the same penalty for anyone who, without a licence from the competent authority, cuts or collects live or dead specimens, parts or derivatives of wild flora and fauna species.
CONAP also cites the Ley Forestal (Decreto 101-96): per AGN, that law sets fines of Q400 to Q10,000 and Q10,000 to Q50,000, and one to five years in prison. We did not read the Ley Forestal text for this guide, so those figures are CONAP’s, as reported by AGN, not a quote of the law.
When the season opens
The 2026 dates had not been announced as of September 29, 2026. The two previous seasons:
| Season | Campaign launch | Fairs officially open | Mercado de Artesanías, zona 13 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | November 20, 2024 (AGN) | Special sale November 8 to December 15 (Prensa Libre) |
| 2025 | October 29, 2025 (AGN) | November 21, 2025 (AGN, Prensa Libre) | Until December 20 (Prensa Libre) |
In 2025 INAB’s manager, Bruno Arias, told Soy502 to buy pinabete only at authorised points such as the Mercado de Artesanías in zona 13 and “más de 20 puntos de venta a nivel nacional” (more than 20 points of sale nationwide). The capital’s fair was at the Mercado de Artesanías La Aurora, on bulevar Juan Pablo II, zona 13, on the way to the airport; Guatemala.com gave its hours as 9:00 to 18:00. Prensa Libre reported that from 9:30 on opening day the fair sold trees of up to two metres, plus wreaths, garlands and sprigs made from pinabete.
Where to buy: INAB’s list of points of sale
INAB publishes a list of authorised points of sale by department each season. The 2025 edition we read had eight lists: Guatemala, Sacatepéquez, Chimaltenango, Jalapa, Quetzaltenango, Totonicapán, San Marcos and Huehuetenango. On September 29, 2026 the INAB points-of-sale web page returned an error, so we do not link it here; the 2026 list will be the document to check before you buy.
- Guatemala City: the address we found repeated most often in INAB’s 2025 Guatemala list is the Mercado de Artesanías La Aurora, 6a calle 10-95, zona 13. The same list also includes points in shopping centres.
- Tecpán, Chimaltenango (cut your own): the 2025 Chimaltenango list includes plantations in Tecpán, among them Finca El Espinero and Pinabello (Finca Agua Escondida, km 100). Guatemala.com reported that El Espinero lets families cut their own tree and opened in November by reservation only, and that Pinabello could be visited Monday to Friday without an appointment, with weekend visits by reservation.
- San José Pinula: Guatemala.com listed Billeben Nature at km 32.5 of the road to Mataquescuintla, open Saturdays and Sundays from November 8 to December 7, 2025, 9:30 to 17:00, with reservation.
- Western highlands: the Huehuetenango list includes plantations in Chiantla, San Juan Ixcoy and other municipalities, several also selling at the Centro Comercial Pradera in Huehuetenango.
Published prices (with their year)
No 2026 prices had been published as of September 29, 2026, and we did not find a dated 2025 price. These are the two dated price reports we found, both from the Mercado de Artesanías fair in zona 13:
| Product | November 2024 (Prensa Libre) | December 2020 (AGN) |
|---|---|---|
| Cut tree, per foot | Q125 to Q140 | Average Q100 |
| Small cut tree | 4 ft: Q500 | 5 ft: Q500 |
| Large cut tree | 15 ft: Q1,875 | 10 ft: Q1,000 |
| Potted tree | Q800 to Q1,200 | — |
| Wreath | 40 cm Q60 · 60 cm Q80 · 80 cm Q100 | — |
| Garland | — | Q100 per metre, according to sellers |
| Seedling (pilón) to plant | — | Q25 |
These are prices reported at the fair, not an official tariff. The 2020 seedling note comes with a caveat from the same AGN report: a pilón takes six or seven years to reach 3 metres.
The season in numbers
| Figure | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Plantations | 1,205, covering 413.32 hectares | Soy502, November 2025 |
| Nurseries | 30, producing an average of 80,000 plants | Soy502, November 2025 |
| Sold each year | More than 25,000 Christmas trees, 30,000 by-products made from sprigs and 2,500 potted trees | Soy502, November 2025 |
| Families that benefit | About 2,000 | Soy502, November 2025 |
| People in monitoring and control | About 2,500 | CONAP, Christmas Control Plan 2025, via AGN |
Gerardo Paiz, CONAP’s deputy executive secretary, said in October 2025 that the campaign had cut illegal pinabete trade by more than 90% (AGN).
Making the tree last
Prensa Libre, citing tree-care experts, advised in 2024 keeping the base of a cut tree in water and away from windows, heaters and direct sun. It said a cut tree stays green for about a month, which is why it recommended buying early in the season.
Related
- Christmas in Guatemala: the December calendar, Nochebuena and what closes
- Árbol Gallo tree lighting at the Obelisco
- Guatemala City Christmas parades and the Festival Navideño
- Quema del Diablo, December 7 and Virgen de Guadalupe, December 12
- Are fireworks legal in Guatemala?
Sources: Ley de Áreas Protegidas, Decreto 4-89, Arts. 81 bis and 82 (INAB text); AGN, October 29, 2025, November 2025, December 7, 2024 and December 1, 2020; INAB 2025 points-of-sale lists; Prensa Libre, November 27, 2024 and November 21, 2025; Soy502, November 2025; Guatemala.com, November 19, 2025. Read September 29, 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal to buy a pinabete Christmas tree in Guatemala?
Yes, but only from an authorised plantation and only with its tag (marchamo). Launching the 2025 campaign, CONAP and INAB said, per AGN, that the only products allowed for sale are trees, wreaths and garlands from authorised plantations that carry the corresponding marchamo. Sprigs (ramillas) from natural pinabete forests may not be sold.
What does the pinabete tag (marchamo) look like?
Per AGN (December 2020, and again in December 2024), authorised trees carry a white marchamo, and by-products such as wreaths and garlands carry a white marchamo with a black background. CONAP added in 2025 that the tag has a sequential number and the INAB and CONAP legend.
How many pinabetes can I carry in my car?
INAB and CONAP said in December 2024, per AGN, that under the rules in force you may freely transport a maximum of six trees and 13 by-products (wreaths and garlands), only with their marchamos. For more than that you need a shipping note (nota de envío) issued by INAB.
What is the penalty for an illegal pinabete?
Article 82 of the Ley de Áreas Protegidas (Decreto 4-89, as reformed by Decreto 110-96) punishes illegally transporting, exchanging, selling or exporting specimens, parts or derivatives of threatened or endemic wild flora with five to ten years in prison and a fine of Q10,000 to Q20,000. CONAP lists the pinabete as a threatened species.
How much does a pinabete cost?
No 2026 prices had been published as of September 29, 2026, and we did not find a dated 2025 price. The most recent dated prices we found are from Prensa Libre, November 27, 2024, at the Mercado de Artesanías fair in zona 13: cut trees at Q125 to Q140 per foot, from Q500 for a 4-foot tree to Q1,875 for a 15-foot one, potted trees Q800 to Q1,200, and wreaths from Q60 (40 cm) to Q100 (80 cm).
Where can I buy a legal pinabete in Guatemala City?
In 2025 the main fair in the capital was at the Mercado de Artesanías La Aurora, zona 13, on bulevar Juan Pablo II toward the airport; Prensa Libre reported it opening on November 21 and running until December 20. INAB’s manager Bruno Arias told Soy502 to buy only at authorised points such as that market and more than 20 points of sale nationwide.
When does pinabete season start in 2026?
The 2026 dates had not been announced as of September 29, 2026. In 2025 CONAP and INAB launched the campaign on October 29 and the fairs opened on November 21 (AGN, Prensa Libre). In 2024 the fairs were inaugurated on November 20 (AGN).
