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National anthem of Guatemala

Himno Nacional de Guatemala
English: National anthem of Guatemala

National anthem of Guatemala
LyricsJosé Joaquín Palma and José María Bonilla Ruano, 1896 (modified in July 1934 by the latter)
MusicRafael Álvarez Ovalle, 1896
Adopted19 February 1897 (1897-02-19)
Audio sample

The National Anthem of Guatemala (Spanish: Himno Nacional de Guatemala)[a] was an initiative of the government of General José María Reina Barrios.[b] Its music was composed by Rafael Álvarez Ovalle and its original lyrics written by Cuban poet and diplomat José Joaquín Palma, in the context of the cultural and industrial event Exposición Centroamericana of 1897.

The anthem was particularly warmongering and reflected the Cuban War of Independence more than the independence of Central America.[1][2][c] Due to this, by a 1934 order of President Jorge Ubico some changes to the lyrics were made by pedagogue José María Bonilla Ruano.

The lyrics and score were printed for the first time in the culture magazine La Ilustración Guatemalteca, where the original author of the lyrics appeared as "Anonymous".[3] It was not until 1910, shortly before his death, that Palma confessed being the author.


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  1. ^ Bran Azmitia, Rigoberto (1972). Historia del Himno nacional de Guatemala (in Spanish). Guatemala: Comité Nacional Procentenario "Rafael Alvarez Ovalle,".
  2. ^ Bonilla Ruano, Jose Maria (1935). Anotaciones críticodidácticas sobre el poema del himno nacional de Guatemala (in Spanish). Guatemala: Typographic Union.
  3. ^ "Don Rafael Alvarez". La Ilustración Guatemalteca. Vol. 1, no. 17. Guatemala. 1897. p. 249. Retrieved 22 January 2022.

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