1 Real Rafael Carrera

Rafael Carrera, the illiterate mestizo general who seized Guatemala City in 1839 and dominated Central American politics for decades, restored conservative and clerical power after the liberal reforms of the Federation period. These reales were struck during the final years of his rule — he died in office in April 1865, the only Central American caudillo of his era to do so without exile or execution. The Guatemala City mint had operated fitfully through decades of regional warfare, and output during this window was constrained by chronic silver shortages tied to disrupted trade routes through the isthmus.