List of ambassadors of Spain to Guatemala
| Ambassador of Spain to Guatemala | |
|---|---|
Incumbent since 13 March 2024María Clara Girbau Ronda | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretariat of State for Ibero-America | |
| Style | The Most Excellent |
| Residence | Guatemala City |
| Nominator | The Foreign Minister |
| Appointer | The Monarch |
| Term length | At the government's pleasure |
| Precursor | Ambassador of Spain to Central America |
| Inaugural holder | Mariano Vidal Tolosana |
| Formation | 1954 |
| Website | Mission of Spain to Guatemala |
The ambassador of Spain to Guatemala is the official representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the Republic of Guatemala. It is also accredited to Belize.
Spain sent is first diplomatic representatives to Central America in the 1850s, with a unique ambassador to the whole region. The ambassador to Central America was responsible for establishing diplomatic relations with the newly formed republics of the region. In the case of Guatemala, the two countries signed a treaty of peace, friendship, and recognition in 1863. The Legation to Central America was located to Guatemala City. Over time, this position gradually lost its responsibilities to new ambassadors and, since 1936, has been exclusively responsible for the Republic of Guatemala.[1]
After the Guatemalan Revolution, both countries broke relations due to the support of the Guatemalan governments to the Spanish Republican government in exile. These were re-established after the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état, with the first ambassadorial-rank appointment.[2]
Due to the 1980 Spanish embassy burning in Guatemala City, Spain broke relations with Guatemala on February 1980,[3] and were re-established in September 1984, after the public apology from President Óscar Humberto Mejía Víctores and the acknowledgment by the Guatemalan government that the events constituted "a violation of Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations".[4][5]
Jurisdiction
- Guatemala: Spain has had a diplomatic representation in Guatemala since the 1850s. In 1954 was elevated to the rank of Embassy.[2] The Consular Section of the Embassy provides consular assistance to Spaniards in the country and it also counts with an honorary consulate in Quetzaltenango.[6]
The ambassador is also accredited to:
- Belize: Both nations established diplomatic relations in 1989.[7] In 1993, the ambassador to Guatemala replaced the ambassador to the Organization of American States as the diplomatic representative to the Belizean authorities. Spain has an honorary consulate in Belize City.[6]
In the past, before 1936, this position served as ambassador to Central America, representing Spain to the republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
List of ambassadors to Central America (1851–1936)
List of ambassadors to Guatemala (1936–present)
This list was compiled using the work "History of the Spanish Diplomacy" by the Spanish historian and diplomat Miguel Ángel Ochoa Brun.[8] The work covers up to the year 2000, so the rest is based on appointments published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado.
| Nombre | Rank | Mandato |
|---|---|---|
| Rafael Triana y Blasco | Minister | 1936–1940 |
| Antonio Sanz Agero | Minister | 1940–1945 |
| Federico Gabaldón y Navarro | Minister | 1946 |
| Mariano Vidal Tolosana | Ambassador | 1954–1960 |
| Ángel Sanz Briz | Ambassador | 1960–1962 |
| José Antonio Giménez-Arnau | Ambassador | 1962–1964 |
| Emilio Garrigues y Díaz-Cañabate | Ambassador | 1964–1967 |
| Santiago Tabanera Ruiz | Ambassador | 1967–1969 |
| Justo Bermejo y Gómez | Ambassador | 1969–1975 |
| Carlos Manzanares Herrero | Ambassador | 1975–1979 |
| Máximo Cajal López | Ambassador | 1979–1980 |
| Break of diplomatic relations | ||
| José Antonio Bordallo Huidobro | Chargé d'affaires | 1984–1985 |
| José Luis Crespo de Vega | Ambassador | 1985–1988 |
| Juan Pablo de Laiglesia | Ambassador | 1988–1992 |
| Manuel Piñeiro Souto | Ambassador | 1992–1997 |
| Víctor Luis Fagilde González | Ambassador | 1997–2001 |
| Ramón Gandarias Alonso de Celis[9] | Ambassador | 2001–2004 |
| Juan López-Doriga Pérez[10] | Ambassador | 2004–2008 |
| María del Carmen Díez Orejas[11] | Ambassador | 2008–2011 |
| Manuel María Lejarreta[12] | Ambassador | 2011–2015 |
| Alfonso Manuel Portabales Vázquez[13] | Ambassador | 2015–2020 |
| José María Laviña Rodríguez[14] | Ambassador | 2020–2024 |
| María Clara Girbau Ronda[15] | Ambassador | 2024–pres. |
References
- ^ Sánchez Andrés, Agustín (2016). "La normalización de las relaciones entre España y Centroamérica durante la gestión de Julio de Arellano y Arróspide, 1889-1895" [The normalization of relations between Spain and Central America during the administration of Julio de Arellano y Arróspide, 1889–1895]. Revista complutense de historia de América (in Spanish). 42 (42): 248–249. doi:10.5209/RCHA.53718. ISSN 1132-8312. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ a b Ministry of Foreign Affairs (July 30, 1954). "Decreto de 20 de julio de 1954 por el que se eleva a Embajada la categoría de la Representación Diplomática de España cerca de Su Excelencia el Presidente de la Junta de Gobierno de Guatemala" [Decree of July 20, 1954, by which the Diplomatic Representation of Spain to His Excellency the President of the Governing Board of Guatemala is elevated to the category of Embassy.] (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "SPANISH BREAK TIES WITH GUATEMALANS; Madrid Faults Security Forces for Incident at Embassy in Which 39 Persons Were Killed Clarification Demanded Guatemala Blames Guerrillas". The New York Times. February 2, 1980. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Moreno, Daniel Choya (September 30, 2025). "España, Guatemala y el incendio que rompió unas relaciones diplomáticas". El Generacional (in Spanish). Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Ceberio, Jesús (September 23, 1984). "Guatemala reconoce la violación del derecho internacional en el asalto a la Embilda española en enero de 1980". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ a b "Consulados". www.exteriores.gob.es (in Spanish). Archived from the original on June 22, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ País, El (January 14, 1989). "Relaciones con Belice". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Ochoa Brun, Miguel Ángel (2000). "History of the Spanish Diplomacy - DIPLOMATIC REPERTOIRE- CHRONOLOGICAL LISTS OF REPRESENTATIVES - From the Early Middle Ages to the year 2000" (PDF). www.exteriores.gob.es (in Spanish). pp. 194–195. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "Real Decreto 189/2001, de 23 de febrero, por el que se designa a don Ramón Gandarias Alonso de Celis Embajador de España en la República de Guatemala". Official State Gazette. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "Real Decreto 1984/2004, de 1 de octubre, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Guatemala a don Juan López-Dóriga Pérez". Official State Gazette. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "Real Decreto 1145/2008, de 4 de julio, por el que se designa Embajadora de España en la República de Guatemala a doña María del Carmen Díez Orejas". Official State Gazette. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "Real Decreto 1116/2011, de 22 de julio, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Guatemala a don Manuel María Lejarreta Lobo". Official State Gazette. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "Real Decreto 649/2015, de 10 de julio, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Guatemala a don Alfonso Manuel Portabales Vázquez". Official State Gazette. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ "Real Decreto 594/2020, de 23 de junio, por el que se designa Embajador de España en la República de Guatemala a don José María Laviña Rodríguez". Official State Gazette. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
- ^ Infobae (March 12, 2024). "El Gobierno español nombra a Clara Girbau como nueva embajadora en Guatemala". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved January 28, 2026.