Independence Day of Guatemala

GUATEMALA is a Central American country that gained independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Historical accounts trace the beginning of Guatemala’s Spanish colonization to 1523-1524 when Spanish adventurer Pedro de Alvarado defeated the indigenous Maya and turned Guatemala into a Spanish colony. The country is referred to as the cradle of the Maya civilization.

A highlight of the Guatemalan Independence Day celebration is the Antorcha de la Independencia, a torch relay that takes place on September 14. The torch relay commemorates the day in 1821 when Maria Dolores Bedoya ran along Guatemala’s streets carrying a torch that symbolized their future freedom. The festivities reach their peak on September 15, with school parades, military parades, air shows, the La Conquista dance that reenacts the conquest of the Mayans, fireworks, and feasts of traditional Guatemalan delicacies.

Guatemala shares land borders with Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Belize. Guatemala City, officially Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (New Guatemala of the Assumption), is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous city in Central America. The capital city is the site of the stately National Palace of Culture and the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

The Philippine embassy in Mexico has jurisdiction in Guatemala. It has a consulate general office in Guatemala City. Guatemala has a consulate office in Quezon City.In November, 2018, at a breakfast for Associate Observers to the 26th Ibero-American Summit in Antiqua, Guatemala, that was hosted by Guatemala’s Foreign Affairs Vice Minister and National Coordinator

Manuel Estuardo Roldan Barillas and Ibero-American Summit Director Rebecca Grynspan, Philippine Ambassador to Mexico Demetrio R. Tuason expressed the Philippine’s desire to continue cooperating with countries in the Ibero-American region in the core areas of knowledge, culture, and social cohesion. During the summit, the heads of state and government unanimously approved the Declaration of Guatemala, committing Ibero-American countries to sustainable development and adherence to the United Nations Agenda 2030 and the Antigua Plan of Action for Ibero-American Cooperation.

We greet the people and government of the Republic of Guatemala, led by President Jimmy Morales, on the occasion of its Independence Day.