20 Guatemalan Quetzal banknote (Mariano Galvez)

20 Quetzales (Issued 2008)

The Banco de Guatemala has served as the country’s central monetary authority since 1946, holding sole responsibility for issuing currency and safeguarding the quetzal. The 20 Quetzales note belongs to its modernised production incorporating enhanced security technology while retaining the iconic national imagery that defines Guatemalan currency, and it remains recognised legal tender.

On the front, the dominant portrait is that of Doctor Mariano Gálvez, the liberal statesman and head of state of Guatemala from 1831 to 1838, his name printed in small text beneath. His likeness is rendered in fine intaglio, presented in three-quarter profile facing left in a high-collared period coat, with carefully detailed shading across face and hair. The denomination numeral “20” appears in large navy blue type to the left of the portrait, with “VEINTE QUETZALES” beneath it, and “BANCO DE GUATEMALA” with “GUATEMALA, CENTRO AMERICA” along the top border. A quetzal bird in green and red flies to the left above a small pre-Columbian Mayan glyph, the serial number appears twice in dark ink, and two official signatures carry the authorisation date “12 de Marzo de 2008”. A vertical security thread runs through the paper, and the palette combines pale blue-green guilloche with darker navy and violet.

The reverse presents a large central vignette in rich blue-violet intaglio depicting the proclamation of Guatemalan independence, captioned in reference to the “Acta de Independencia de Guatemala”. The scene shows around a dozen figures in early nineteenth-century dress gathered around a central table in a curtained interior chamber, some seated and some standing, with the action focused on documents laid before them, evoking the solemnity of the 1821 declaration. The engraving carries fine cross-hatching and painterly tonal gradation. “BANCO DE GUATEMALA” is printed across the top, the numeral “20” sits at the upper right, “VEINTE QUETZALES” runs along the lower border, and a panel of pre-Columbian geometric patterning frames the left side.

A 20 Quetzales note can be exchanged through Webuyallcurrency.com, which buys current and withdrawn Guatemalan Quetzales from customers across the UK.

• Indicate the quantity of 20 Quetzales banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Exchanging foreign money need not be complicated — Webuyallcurrency.com accepts your Guatemalan Quetzales with the rest of your leftover currency and settles everything together.

Other Guatemalan Quetzal you can exchange: 1 quetzal, 5 quetzales, 10 quetzales, 50 quetzales, 100 quetzales, 200 quetzales.