Owner Comments:
Before the Spaniards arrived in Guatemala, it was the ancient home of the Mayan Indians. With the Spanish conquest of Central America beginning in 1519, Captain Pedro de Alvarado under the authority of Hernan Cortes methodically subjugated the Mayans. To make matters worse Captain Pedro de Alvarado had a reputation for being both cruel and ruthless. The Mayans fought bravely for their lands, but their weaponry was no match to that of the Spanish conquistadors. After the final defeat of the Mayan Indians, Pedro de Alvarado became the governor of Guatemala. Subsequently, the entire region from Mexico all the way to Panama became known as New Spain.
If being subjugated to a conquering enemy isn’t bad enough, the Spaniards unknowingly brought with them diseases to which they themselves were largely immune. Conversely, the Mayan Indians had no such immunities, and those diseases devastated them. By some estimates, up to 90% of the Mayan population died of smallpox. Because the smallpox epidemic did not seem to affect the Spaniards, the Mayans came to believe that the god of the Spaniards was superior to their gods. This resulted in the rapid growth of the Roman Catholic Church, both in terms of political power and influence by an acquiescing of the Central American natives to Spanish rule.
Generally speaking, when the church acquires political power, it opens itself up to corruption. Now I am not against the church spreading the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, but when the church veers from its core mission, it loses credibility and opens itself to corruption. This became evident when under the governance of dictators, the wealthy landowners and the church clergy held all the power, land, and money in Guatemala.
This brings me to the reverse of the 1896/5 Guatemalan Peso and the date on the scroll in the center of the Guatemalan Coat of Arms. That date, 15 September 1821, is the date of Guatemalan independence from Spain. Afterwards, on July 1, 1823, the Federal Republic of Central America consisting of Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras declared their independence from the First Mexican Empire, which had annexed them. The bird perched on the scroll is Guatemala’s national bird, the Resplendent Quetzal. This bird is a symbol of liberty because oftentimes the resplendent quetzal will kill itself rather than face capture and captivity. The crossed Springfield Rifles with Bayonets represent the willingness of Guatemala to defend itself. The crossed sabers represent honor, while the laurel wreath symbolizes victory. Interestingly, while governments have come and gone in Guatemala, the coat of arms has remained to this day.
The liberal factions of the new Federal Republic of Central America had hoped that the Republic would bring about democratic reforms. However, the conservative factions allied with the Catholic clergy, and wealthy landowners fiercely resisted efforts at reform. This led to political wrangling and an ensuing civil war between 1838 and 1840. Consequently, the civil war led to the dissolution of the Federal Republic of Central America into its separate states.
Over the course of time and regardless of who was in command, not much has changed for the people of Guatemala. That was until June 30, 1871, when Guatemala’s Liberal Revolution toppled the dictatorial government of Vicente Cerna under the command of General Justo Rufino Barrios.
Through the reforms implemented by Justo Rufino Barrios, much of the Catholic Church's land was seized and the church's power stripped by expelling the Jesuits and instituting the freedom of religion. Additional reforms led to freedom of the press and compulsory education. Under Justo Rufino Barrios, the economy was reformed enabling it to compete for international trade. The introduction of the telegraph to the country and the building of railroads modernized the infrastructure of Guatemala. In 1879, the Republic of Guatemala implemented its first constitution.
Nevertheless, Justo Rufino Barrios ruled by an open dictatorship only slightly moderated by a constitution that gave him broad executive powers. In the opinion of Justo Rufino Barrios, the native Indian culture had nothing to offer to his modern society, and he despised them. Justo Rufino Barrios dreamed of restoring the old Federal Republic of Central America back to its original form. However, he died on the battlefield trying to restore the Republic by force, and his vision of a new Central American Republic died with him.
This leads to the significance of the allegory portrayed on the obverse of my 1896/5 peso that has appeared on Guatemalan coinage beginning in 1873. The plinth in the right hemisphere of the obverse represents the Liberal Revolution of June 30, 1871. The broken chains at the base of the plinth represent the breaking of the Conservadoras dictatorial bondage over the people. The seated female personification holding a scale in her left hand supported by the plinth represents Justice. The cornucopia in Lady Justice’s right hand symbolizes economic prosperity and plenty for all under the justice won through the revolution.