Guatemala Flags – Quetzal Flag, Bunting & Hand Flags

The Guatemala flag: the quetzal and the date of independence

The flag of Guatemala has three vertical bands, sky blue, white and sky blue, with the national coat of arms in the centre of the white band. The arms show a resplendent quetzal, the national bird and a symbol of liberty, perched on a scroll inscribed Libertad 15 de Septiembre de 1821, the date of independence from Spain, in front of two crossed Remington rifles and two crossed swords, all framed by a laurel wreath. The blue bands stand for the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that border the country and the white for peace and purity, colours taken from the old Central American federation. The vertical layout dates from 1871 and the arms were last redrawn in 1968, and the quetzal is so central to Guatemalan identity that the currency is named after it. Our Guatemala flag is the state version with the quetzal arms in full colour.

Independence, the torch runs and Semana Santa

Independence Day on 15 September is the great flag day, when relay runners carry the independence torch from town to town through the night before, schools parade with marching bands and the flag hangs from homes across the country; Flag Day itself is 17 August. Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala, with carpets of coloured sawdust and flowers laid on the streets for the processions, is the other occasion that draws visitors. The national football team, La Azul y Blanco, plays to big crowds at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City. In the UK the Guatemalan flag is flown by a small community mostly in London, by Spanish-language students and volunteers who have spent time in Antigua or at Lake Atitlán, and by travellers back from the Mayan sites at Tikal.

Sizes, grades and fittings

The Guatemala flag is stocked in two grades: Flagtex, a printed woven polyester for indoor displays and shorter spells outdoors, in 3ft x 2ft, 5ft x 3ft and 8ft x 5ft with brass eyelets, and DuraFlag, a heavier knitted polyester with double-stitched hems for a Guatemala flag that stays up all year, in 3ft x 2ft, 5ft x 3ft and 8ft x 5ft with clips plus a 20x12in on rope and toggle. Raise the 5ft x 3ft on a pole or at a football match, put the 3ft x 2ft in a window or a language school, use the 8ft x 5ft on a stage or a tall mast and fix the 20x12in to a car on 15 September.

Guatemala bunting

Guatemala bunting is a string of rectangular pennants showing the sky blue and white bands with the quetzal arms, sold in 3m and 9m lengths. A 3m length suits a doorway, a café counter or a classroom; a 9m length runs round a church hall, a terrace or a garden for Independence Day. Printed on both sides, the Guatemalan polyester pennants can stay up outdoors for the whole celebration.

Hand flags and table flags

Guatemala hand flags on wooden sticks come in 9x6in and 18x12in for Independence Day, Spanish classes and travel talks. The Guatemala table flag is a 6x4in flag on a base for a desk, a coffee shop counter or a family table, and the large wooden Guatemala table flag at 18x12in suits a consulate or a conference stand. Mexico, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica flags are under world flags.

Guatemala flag FAQs

Popular in this collection

• Guatemala Flag (20x12in to 8x5ft, Flagtex or DuraFlag)from £6.99
• Guatemala Bunting (3m or 9m)from £9.98
• Guatemala Hand Flags (9x6in, 18x12in)from £5.99
• Guatemala Table Flag 6x4in with Basefrom £1.98
• Guatemala Large Wooden Table Flagfrom £3.98