Timeline

• 17.01.1731
• Royal decree on the foundation of the mint of Guatemala; coin production began on 19.03.1733
• 19.03.1824
• Coinage law of the Central American Republic; no local law was enacted in Guatemala
• ??.??.1829
• Presidential Decree of the Provisional Government on the issuance of a provisional coin of 1 real; not implemented
• 01.06.1836
• Government decree, declares legal tender all full-weighted Spanish and Spanish colonial silver coins of 8, 4, 2 Reals (including the primitive "Macuquinas"); effective immediately:
  - counterstamped in 1838: "1 volcano with sun"
  - counterstamped in 1839: "3 volcanoes with sun"
  - counterstamped in 1840-1841: 3 volcanoes with sun / Sun" (double-sided), based on renewed government decree of 23.09.1840.
• 30.06.1840
• Government decree on the withdrawal of all Peruvian and Bolivian silver coins of 1 peso; effective immediately
• 29.07.1851
• Government decree, declares legal tender the US-American gold and silver coins on the rating of foreign gold and silver coins at 1 US Dollar = 1 Peso; effective immediately

Timeline

• 21.04.1853
• Government decree on the creation of a national currency in the Central American standard of 1824; effective by decree of 07.05.1853 which declared legal tender:
  - all coins legalized by decrees of 01.06.1836 and 29.07.1851
  - Gold: Californian 50 US Dollars at 50⅝ Guatemalan Pesos; British Sovereign at 4⅜ Guatemalan Pesos; 10 Chilean Pesos at 9 Guatemalan Pesos
  - Silver: 5 French Francs at 7½ Guatemalan Reals; British 5 Shillings at 1 Guatemalan Peso.
• 20.11.1858
• Government decree on the rating of foreign gold and silver coins; effective immediately:
  - Gold: 20 US Dollars at 20 Guatemalan Pesos; British Sovereign at 4⅞ Guatemalan Pesos; 20 French Francs at 3⅞ Guatemalan Pesos; 10 Chilean Pesos at 9½ Guatemalan Pesos
  - Silver: US Dollar at 1 Guatemalan Peso; 5 French Francs at 7½ Guatemalan Reals; British Shilling at 2 Guatemalan Reals.
• 11.04.1859
• Government decree on the start of issuance of Guatemalan coinage with an increased gold-to-silver ratio (by raising the weight of the silver coins); effective immediately
• 07.01.1866
• Government decree on changing the title of the late President Rafael Carrera († 11.04.1865) on the national coinage into "Founder of Guatemala"; effective immediately
• 09.06.1869
• Currency law on the adoption of the bimetallic standard of the Latin Monetary Union and the decimalization of the sub-unit (called "Céntimo"); effective immediately
• 21.09.1870
• Currency law, changes the fineness of the silver subsidiary coins (the sub-unit is now called "Centavo"); effective immediately
• 09.12.1871
• Currency law, increases the gold-to-silver ratio (by raising the weight of the silver coins) coins and reverts to the non-decimal sub-unit "Real"; effective immediately
• 23.03.1881
• Currency law, returns to the bimetallic standard of the Latin Monetary Union and the decimal sub-unit (non-decimal 4, 2, 1, ½ Reals were produced, as well, although not foreseen in the law); effective 01.07.1881. The rating of foreign gold and silver coins was renewed:
  - Gold: 20 US Dollars at 20 Guatemalan Pesos; British Sovereign at 5 Guatemalan Pesos; 20 French Francs at 4 Guatemalan Pesos
  - Silver: US Dollar at 1 Guatemalan Peso; 5 French Francs at 1 Guatemalan Peso.
• ??.??.1881
• Start of paper money issuance by the Treasury
• 10.07.1894
• Presidential decree for the withdrawal of all foreign silver coins until 01.08.1894 and re-issuance of Peso-sized foreign coins after 15.09.1894 (with counterstmps using dies of former ½ Real coins); effective immediately
• 09.06.1899
• Ordinance [No. 595] on the equivalence of paper money by regulated banks and the national currency (paper money convertibility had de facto been suspended already in 1895); effective immediately
  - 25.06.1900: Ordinance on the issuance of 1, ½ and ¼ Real coins in copper-nickel (replacing silver)
  - 09.09.1915: Ordinance on the issuance of "provisional" coins of 25 and 12½ Cents in copper (replacing silver)
  - 18.05.1923: Ordinance on the issuance of "provisional" coins of 5, 1 Pesos and 50 Cents (replacing gold and silver).

Valuation Regimes

• 1853-1899
• Metallic currency based on circulating gold and silver coins. Base weight is the Castilian mark / 8 Onzas / 8 Octavos / 72 Granos at 230.047 grams (1853-1869) and the kilogram (169-1899).
• 1899-1924
• Variable rate, the gold standard was suspended on 09.06.1899, highly inflationary.

Timeline

• 26.11.1924
• Government Decree [No. 879] creating the new currency; effective immediately.
• 07.05.1925
• Law [No. 1379] on the currency reform (implementing the government decree [No. 879] of 26.11.1924) and the currency exchange; effective immediately
• 21.04.1927
• Start of currency exchange:
  - 21.04.1927: Start of issuance of the new coins and banknotes (US American gold coins obtained legal tender status)
  - The paper money of the regulated commercial banks was not demonetized but had to be recalled and exchanged (at own expense)
  - 02.05.1928: Government decree [No. 982] on the expiry of the issuance privilege for issuing paper money by commercial banks until 31.05.1928
  - 18.06.1932: Government decree [No. 1286] on the demonetization of the "provisional" 5 Pesos coins (1923) and exchange at face value; effective 01.08.1932 (all other former coins seem to have disappeared by then).
• 10.12.1945
• Law [No. 203] on the re-introduction of the gold parity; effective immediately

Valuation Regimes

• 1925-1934
• Fixed rate against gold, the gold standard was suspended in January 1934 together with the United States anf formally re-introduced in December 1945
• 1934-1989
• Fixed rate against US Dollar; the "official" parity rate was suspended in 1986
• 1989-
• Variable rate