In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal bird's tail feathers were used as currency.

The quetzal was introduced in 1925 during the term of President José María Orellana, whose image appears on the obverse of the one-quetzal bill.

[1] Until 1987, the quetzal was pegged to and domestically equal to the United States dollar.

The coins currently in circulation are disc-shaped and include Guatemala's national coat of arms on the obverse.

In the top-right corner of the obverse face of each banknote, the value is displayed in Mayan numerals, representing Guatemala's cultural history.