On August 9, 1946, during the governance Juan Jose Arevalo, with the purpose of protecting the species from extinction in Guatemala, a government decree was issued that prohibited the collection and export of the species. The same agreement was modified on June 4, 1947 to extend the ban on pseudobulbs and flowers, as well as to include the rest of the species of this botanical family. In 1997, when they began to make 50 cent coins, the "monja blanca" was used as one of the faces on the new coin.