Guatemalan quetzal on August 20, 2007. The Bank of Guatemala has also introduced a 5 quetzal polymer banknote on November 14, 2011. Guatemalan quetzal The quetzal (; code: GTQ) is the currency of Guatemala, named after the national bird of Guatemala, the resplendent quetzal. In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal bird's tail feathers were used as currency. It is divided into 100 "centavos" or "lenes" in Guatemalan slang. The plural is "quetzales". 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. It replaced the peso. Until 1987,
Pavonine quetzal distribution resides within 10°N and 15°S. The pavonine quetzal is the only quetzal found in the lowland rain forests of South America east of the Andes. Specifically, its preferred habitat seems to be the "terra firme" forests found in the Amazon basin and surrounding areas. Within the forest, it appears relatively restricted to the lower and middle understory of the forest ranging anywhere between 250m and 1200m elevation. Other sources place this quetzal at lower elevations, ranging from sea level to 700m. Regardless, they remain highly arboreal, only occasionally coming down to the forest floor. In comparison, they fill a