2 Reales Rafael Carrera

Rafael Carrera ruled Guatemala as a largely self-taught caudillo who rose from pig farmer to head of state — the only Central American leader of the period to successfully resist annexation into larger regional federations. By 1859 he had declared Guatemala a perpetual republic with himself as president for life, a political arrangement that gave the treasury unusual stability and allowed for consistent silver coinage when neighboring states were issuing debased or paper alternatives.

KM#133 is associated with the Nueva Guatemala mint, operating under fairly tight fineness controls for the period.