Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panoramic_view_of_the_city_of_Quetzaltenango.JPG
Author: Chrishonduras


Quetzaltenango is the second biggest city in Guatemala. Situated high up in the Guatemalan highlands, at an elevation of 2,330 m (7,644 ft), it covers 120 sq km (46.3 sq mi) and has a population of 160,000 (2011 estimate). The city is also the seat of Quetzaltenango municipality and provincial capital of Quetzaltenango Department.

Due to its high altitude, Quetzaltenango is much cooler than cities in the lowlands of Guatemala. Temperature is quite uniform, although the warmest month is March, when average high touches 25.5°C (77.9°F). Coldest month is January, when average low can drop to 1.5°C (34.7°F).

Quetzaltenango is an ancient Mayan city that has been established at least three hundred years before the arrival of the Spanish. It was originally called Xelajú, and belonged to the Mam Mayan people. By the time of the Spanish conquest, the city of Xelajú has become part of the Kingdom of Q'umarkaju of the K'iche Mayan people.

Quetzaltenango Cathedral
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guate_Sep-Oct_2010_066.jpg
Author: Simon Burchell


With help from the Nahuatl people, Conquistador Pedro de Alvarado conquered Xelajú in the 1520s, and then had it renamed Quetzaltenango, a Nahuatl name meaning "place of erected walls". However, as quetzal can also mean the quetzal bird, Quetzaltenango also came to mean "place of the quetzal bird". Among the locals, the city continued to be known by its original name, Xelajú, or simply Xela for short.

Coffee was introduced to Quetzaltenango in the 19th century, and this commodity crop fuelled the prosperity of the town, leading to a construction spree that today endows the city with many fine Bell Époque buildings.

Visiting Quetzaltenango

There are private buses and the local public buses (aka the "chicken buses") that can take you from Guatemala City to Quetzaltenango. The private buses are certainly more comfortable, but if you don't mind the bumpy ride and want to mingle with the locals, then your choice is the budget chicken buses. Expect the trip to take some five hours.

Quetzaltenango City Hall
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quetzaltenango_city_hall_area_2009.JPG
Author: chensiyuan

Places of Interest in Quetzaltenango

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