Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WESTERN HIGHLANDS
The mountainous departments of Quetzaltenango, Totonicapán and Huehuetenango are
generally less frequented by tourists than regions closer to Guatemala City. But with ex-
traordinarily dramatic scenery and vibrant indigenous culture, this part of the country
presents an invariably fascinating panorama. Highlights of any visit include Quetzalten-
ango, Guatemala's second-largest city, with an ever-growing language-school and
volunteer-work scene; the pretty nearby town of Zunil, with its volcanically heated springs;
ascents of the volcanoes around Quetzaltenango; and the remote mountain enclave of
Todos Santos Cuchumatán, north of Huehuetenango, with a strong traditional culture and
excellent walking possibilities.
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Quetzaltenango
POP 167,200 / ELEV 2367M
Quetzaltenango may well be the perfect Guatemalan town - not too big, not too small,
enough foreigners to support a good range of hotels and restaurants, but not so many that it
loses its national flavor. The Guatemalan 'layering' effect is at work in the city center -
once the Spanish moved out, the Germans moved in and their architecture gives the zone a
somber, even Gothic, feel.
Quetzaltenango is big, like its name - which the locals kindly shorten to Xela (
shell
-
ah), itself an abbreviation of the original Quiché Maya name, Xelajú - but by Guatemalan
standards, it is an orderly, clean and safe city. It tends to attract a more serious type of trav-
eler - people who really want to learn Spanish and then stay around and get involved in the
myriad volunteer projects on offer.
Xela also functions as a base for a range of spectacular hikes through the surrounding
countryside - the ascent to the summit of Volcán Tajumulco (Central America's highest
point) and the three-day trek to Lago de Atitlán, to name a few.
Quetzaltenango came under the sway of the K'iche' Maya of K'umarcaaj when they
began their great expansion in the 14th century. Before that it had been a Mam Maya town.
It was near here that the K'iche' leader Tecún Umán was defeated and killed by the Span-
ish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado in 1524.
