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0.50 Quetzal / 50 Centavos Banco de Guatemala, 1st. type
| Issuer | Banco de Guatemala |
|---|---|
| Year | 1948-1958 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Brown intaglio print on multicolour underprint. A vignette of the Hermitage of Cerro del Carmen occupies the left portion of the note, while a quetzal bird in flight is integrated with the denomination numeral at centre right. Serial numbers are printed in red. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Brown intaglio print. The central vignette presents a Chichicastenango landscape in which two figures dressed in traditional indigenous costumes carry water jugs, set against a backdrop of village houses and a colonial church. |
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| Comments |
The Banco de Guatemala was established in 1946 as part of a broad economic restructuring under the Arévalo administration, replacing the earlier Banco Central de Guatemala. This note belongs to the first series issued under the new central bank's authority, and the engagement of the American Bank Note Company reflects a standard regional practice — ABNC held printing contracts across Latin America throughout this period, and Guatemala was a long-standing client.
The ten-year span of this type, 1948 to 1958, covers the political turbulence of the Árbenz years and the 1954 CIA-backed coup. Monetary policy shifted considerably across that decade, yet the note design remained unchanged — an unusual continuity given the magnitude of the political break.