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Guatemala - Coat of Arms

inscription: "15 de Setiembre"
by Zeljko Heimer, 19 October 2001

inscription: "15 de Septiembre"
by Zeljko Heimer, 21 October 2001

Coat of arms

see also:

Guatemala

Coat of Arms

The Flag Bulletin #184 says that on 26 December 1997 the spelling on the arms was altered from SETIEMBRE to SEPTIEMBRE.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 14 March 1999

According to my sources, the branches (coffee?) surrounding the arms should bear four red berries each.
Ivan Sache, 4 April 1999

My sources show no berries. Can someone else confirm Ivan's info? And tell me where these berries would be placed if it gets confirmed?
Jorge Candeias, 5 April 1999

I can at least give my sources: Album des Pavillons, DK Pocket Book, Pedersen and Smith all show these berries. And I just discovered there were not four, but five berries per branch. It's rather difficult to describe their location, this would need a detailed botanical description of a coffee branch. One berry is located at the lowest node. For the other, let us count the "voids" (only the big ones) between successive leaves, beginning at the top of the branch; first berry fits in "void" number 3, second berry in "void" number 5, third berry in "void" number 6, and fourth berry in "void" number 13.
Ivan Sache, 5 April 1999

I can't confirm or deny Ivan's info, however, in Pedersen, 1971 English edition, there do appear to be beans at the base of the major leaf groups, but in mixed numbers, usually pairs. The bird is like a parrot (Pedersen describes it as "a quetzal, the 'bird of freedom', derived from a local Indian legend") with the head turned back over its left shoulder.
Michael Smuda, 5 April 1999

That's very different from all other Guatemalan emblems I've seen so far, that look just like my image. I suspect that either it is a wrong depiction (the "parrot" makes me wonder - see below) or an early version. The quetzal is a real bird that lives in the forests of Central America. It was considered sacred by the pre-colombian civilizations, and the priest that "incarnated" the god Quetzalcoatl wore it's feathers. The depictions of the bird in the Guatemalan symbol I've seen so far show the real bird in the position I depicted it. Anyone knows of changes or standartization of the Guatemalan symbol since 1971?
Jorge Candeias, 6 April 1999

The image sent by Michael is pretty much like the one shown by Kannik. He says it is from 1871, and based on the emblem (he says arms) from 1843. He has no blue oval and no background colour, though. According to Pedersen, 1979, the emblem was changed at 9 September 1968 to the one sent by Jorge. Pedersen has a light blue background in the emblem, (symbolizing fantasy), but not when it is in the flag. Pedersen mentions 18 November 1871