Flag of Guatemala

Flag of Guatemala
Use State and war flag, state and naval ensign
Proportion 5:8
Adopted 1871
Design A vertical triband of light blue (hoist-side and fly-side) and white with the National Emblem centered on the white band.

Variant flag of Flag of Guatemala
Use Civil flag and ensign
Proportion 5:8
Adopted 1871
Design A vertical triband of light blue (hoist-side and fly-side) and white.

The flag of Guatemala, often referred to as "Pabellón Nacional" (literally, "National Flag") or "Azuliblanco" ("Blue and White") features two colors: sky blue and white. The two sky blue stripes represent the fact that Guatemala is a land located between two oceans, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean sea); and the sky over the country (see Guatemala's National Anthem). The white color signifies peace and purity.

In the center of the flag is the Guatemalan coat of arms. It includes the resplendent quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala that symbolizes liberty; a parchment scroll bearing the date of Central America's independence from Spain, 15 September 1821; crossed rifles, indicating Guatemala's willingness to defend itself by force if need be; a bay laurel crown, the symbol for victory; and crossed swords, representing honor. The flag is one of only two national flags of UN member states to feature a firearm, the other being Mozambique.

History

The Central American flag was used in Guatemala until 1851, when a pro-Spanish faction took over and added the Spanish colors of red and yellow to the flag. The original colors were restored on August 17, 1871, but as vertical (rather than horizontal) stripes in order to distinguish it from other flags and with a new coat of arms.

The resplendent quetzal previously appeared in the 1830s in the flag of Los Altos, the sixth state in the Federal Republic.

Bandera de los Pueblos, flag attributed to indigenous peoples.

In 2008 a flag called the Bandera de Los Pueblos (Flag of indigenous peoples) was adopted by law and is shown together with the national flag of Guatemala in all events featuring the President of Guatemalnt of the Republic since then. The flag is divided in four parts, red, yellow, white and black, each colour representing Xinca people, Garifuna people, Maya peoples and Ladino people, respectively.[1]

These colours are also part of the Q'anil, a Maya symbol in which each colour represents a point of the compass, an element of nature and a part of the human being. Q'anil means "seed" in Maya script, and is also used for one of the 20 days of the Maya calendar. Aimed at promoting "interculturality" in Guatemala, the Bandera de los Pueblos was received with coolness by the leaders of the peoples, who do not seem to have been consulted.[2]

Color scheme Brilliant blue White
Pantone[3] 297 Safe
RGB 73-151-208 255-255-255
CMYK 64.9-27.4-0-18.4 0-0-0-0-0
Web colors 4997D0 FFFFFF

Government flags

Historical Flags

The Guatemalan Flag has changed throughout history, arriving to its current design in 1871.

References

  1. ↑ Flags of the World page "Guatemala"
  2. ↑ Flags of the World page "Guatemala"
  3. ↑ Flags of the World page "Guatemala"

External links

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