The current coat of arms of Guatemala was adopted after the 1871 Liberal Revolution by a decree of president Miguel García Granados. It consists of multiple symbols representing liberty and sovereignty on a bleu celeste shield.[1] According to government specifications, the coat of arms should be depicted without the shield only when on the flag,[2] but the version lacking the shield is often used counter to these regulations.[3][4]
In 1871, for the 50th anniversary of Guatemala gaining independence, president Miguel García Granados asked the mint to produce a design to commemorate the event. The Swiss engraver Johann-Baptist Frener possibly[5] designed the shield, and Granados decided to adopt it as the national coat of arms, abandoning the previous coat of arms which had conservative symbolism.[1][4] In Executive Decree No. 33 of 18 November, the coat of arms was described:
The arms of the republic will be: a shield with two rifles and two swords crossed with a wreath of laurel on a field of light blue. The middle will harbor a scroll of parchment with the words "Liberty 15 of September of 1821" in gold and in the upper part a Quetzal as the symbol of national independence and autonomy.[6]
The flag and coat of arms were further regulated in detail in a 12 September 1968 decree by the government of president Julio César Méndez Montenegro, specifying the elements, colors, and the specific shade of blue on the shield.[2]
The elements of the coat of arms has the following symbolism:[4][1]