5 Guatemalan Quetzal banknote (Justo Rufino Barrios)

5 Quetzales (Issued 2014)

Guatemala’s 5 Quetzales note carries unusual cultural and historical weight for a low denomination, integrating pre-Columbian Mayan motifs with republican portraiture to reflect the country’s layered heritage. The polymer-feel substrate and multicolour security elements mark it as a thoroughly modern issue by the Banco de Guatemala, and it remains in active circulation as current legal tender.

On the front, the right-hand side is dominated by a detailed intaglio portrait of Justo Rufino Barrios, the nineteenth-century Guatemalan president and reformer credited with modernising the country and advancing Central American union, his trimmed beard, moustache and formal attire captured with precision. Behind the portrait a stepped-pyramid design evokes Mayan architectural heritage, surrounded by guilloche rosette patterns in deep pink and burgundy. To the left, the resplendent quetzal bird — the national bird from which the currency takes its name — is depicted in vivid green and red plumage. The denomination is expressed as “CINCO QUETZALES” and “5”, with “BANCO DE GUATEMALA” and “GUATEMALA, CENTRO AMERICA” at the top, the serial number printed twice in green ink, and two facsimile signatures titled “GERENTE GENERAL” and “PRESIDENTE”.

The reverse is anchored by a central vignette depicting a classroom scene that celebrates Guatemala’s educational heritage, showing a female teacher seated at a desk among several young children, with a chalkboard displaying the vowels “AEIOU” and the letters “ABCDE”. The scene is rendered in warm ochre and brown tones with painterly detail. “BANCO DE GUATEMALA” is printed at the top, “CINCO QUETZALES” beneath the central image, and the numeral “5” is repeated in the upper and lower right corners in orange and green. A circular Mayan-style medallion sits to the right of the classroom scene, and vertical bands of fine decorative patterning frame both sides.

Webuyallcurrency.com exchanges the 5 Quetzales note alongside the rest of your Guatemalan currency, converting it into sterling through a quick online process.

• Indicate the quantity of 5 Quetzales banknotes you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

From a single note to a mixed bundle, Webuyallcurrency.com exchanges Guatemalan Quetzales alongside your other world currency and pays out in one simple transaction.

Other Guatemalan Quetzal you can exchange: 1 quetzal, 10 quetzales, 20 quetzales, 50 quetzales, 100 quetzales, 200 quetzales.