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Quetzaltenango (, also known by its Maya name Xelajú or Xela ) is both the seat of the namesake Department and
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...
, in Guatemala. The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of
above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The ...
at its lowest part. It may reach above within the city. The Municipality of Quetzaltenango consists of an area of . Municipalities abutting the municipality of Quetzaltenango include
Salcajá Salcajá is a town and municipality in Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala. Salcajá is best known for the Church of San Jacinto, founded in 1524, which was the first church built in Central America since it was one of the first places invade ...
, Cantel, Almolonga, Zunil, El Palmar, Concepción Chiquirichapa, San Mateo, La Esperanza, and Olintepeque in Quetzaltenango department and
San Andrés Xecul San Andrés Xecul () is a town, with a population of 15,074 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population of citi ...
in Totonicapán department.


History

In
Pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...
times Quetzaltenango was a city of the
Mam Mam or MAM may refer to: Places * An Mám or Maum, a settlement in Ireland * General Servando Canales International Airport in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico (IATA Code: MAM) * Isle of Mam, a phantom island * Mam Tor, a hill near Castleton in t ...
Maya people called Xelajú, although by the time of the Spanish Conquest it had become part of the
K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj K'iche', K'ichee', or Quiché may refer to: * K'iche' people of Guatemala, a subgroup of the Maya * K'iche' language, a Maya language spoken by the K'iche' people ** Classical K'iche' language, the 16th century form of the K'iche' language * Kʼich ...
. The name may be derived from ''xe laju' noj'' meaning "under ten mountains". The city was said to have already been over 300 years old when the Spanish first arrived. With the help of his allies, Conquistador
Pedro de Alvarado Pedro de Alvarado (; c. 1485 – 4 July 1541) was a Spanish conquistador and governor of Guatemala.Lovell, Lutz and Swezey 1984, p. 461. He participated in the conquest of Cuba, in Juan de Grijalva's exploration of the coasts of the Yucatá ...
defeated and killed the Maya ruler Tecún Umán here. When Alvarado conquered the city for Spain in the 1520s, he called it by the
Nahuatl Nahuatl (; ), Aztec, or Mexicano is a language or, by some definitions, a group of languages of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by about Nahua peoples, most of whom live mainly in Central Mexico and have small ...
name used by his Central Mexican Indian allies, "Quetzaltenango", generally considered to mean "the place of the quetzal bird." Quetzaltenango became the city's official name in colonial times. However, many people (especially the indigenous population) continue to call the city "Xelajú" or more commonly "Xela" for short, and some proudly, but unofficially, consider it the "capital of the Mayas". From 1838 to 1840 Quetzaltenango was the capital of the state of Los Altos, one of the states or provinces of the
Federal Republic of Central America The Federal Republic of Central America ( es, República Federal de Centroamérica), originally named the United Provinces of Central America ( es, Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), and sometimes simply called Central America, in it ...
. As the union broke up, the army of Rafael Carrera conquered Quetzaltenango making it part of Guatemala. In 1850, the city had a population of approximately 20,000. During the 19th century,
coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...
was introduced as a major crop in the area. As a result, the economy of Xela prospered. Much fine
Belle Époque The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era o ...
architecture can still be found in the city. On October 24, 1902, at 5:00 pm, the Santa María Volcano erupted. Rocks and ash fell on Quetzaltenango at 6 PM, only one hour after the eruption. In the 1920s, a young
Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
woman named Vanushka Cardena Barajas died and was buried in the Xela city cemetery. An active legend has developed around her tomb that says those who bring flowers or write a request on her tomb will be reunited with their former romantic partners. The Guatemalan songwriter Alvaro Aguilar wrote a song based on this legend. In 1930 the only electric railway in Guatemala, the ''
Ferrocarril de Los Altos Guatemala has a network of narrow gauge railroads, passenger and freight trains currently run. History Construction of the first railway in Guatemala commenced in 1877 and the first section began operation in 1880, connecting Puerto San J ...
'', was inaugurated. It was built by AEG and
Krupp The Krupp family (see pronunciation), a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, is notable for its production of steel, artillery, ammunition and other armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG (Friedrich Krupp ...
and had 14 train cars. The track connected Quetzaltenango with San Felipe, Retalhuleu. It was soon destroyed by mudslides and finally demolished in 1933. The people of Quetzaltenango are still very proud of the railway. A railway museum has been established in the city center. Since the late 1990s Quetzaltenango has been having an economic boom, which makes it the city with the second-highest contribution to the Guatemalan economy. With its first high-rise buildings being built, it is expected by 2015 to have a more prominent skyline, with buildings up to 15 floors tall. In 2008, the Central American Congress
PARLACEN The Central American Parliament ( es, Parlamento Centroamericano), also known as PARLACEN, is the political institution and parliamentary body of the Central American Integration System (SICA). Its headquarters are in Guatemala City. History T ...
stated that every September 15, Quetzaltenango will be
Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
's capital of culture. Quetzaltenango was supposed to host
2018 Central American and Caribbean Games The 23rd Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Barranquilla, Colombia. Asamblea ODECABE, Islas Caimán' (translation: "CASCO Assembly, Cayman Islands"). Published by CACSO on 2012-10-27; retrieved 2012-11-13. Bidding process Q ...
but dropped out due to a lack of funding for the event. In March 2022, indigenous activists began blockading the central waste deposit near Valle de Palajunoj to protest a city development plan enacted by the municipal authorities in June 2017.


Climate

According to
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
, Quetzaltenango features a subtropical highland climate (''Cwb''). In general, the climate in Quetzaltenango can go from mild to chilly, with occasional sporadic warm episodes. The daily high is usually reached around noon. From then on, temperatures decrease exceptionally fast. The city is quite dry, except during the rainy season. Quetzaltenango is the coolest major city in Guatemala. There are two main seasons in Quetzaltenango (as in all of Guatemala); the rainy season, which generally runs from late May through late October, and the dry season, which runs from early November until April. During the rainy season, rain falls consistently, usually in the afternoons, but there are occasions in which it rains all day long or at least during the morning. During the dry season, the city frequently will not receive a single drop of rain for months on end. The coldest months are November through February, with minimum temperatures averaging , and maximum temperatures averaging . The warmest months are March through July, with minimum temperatures averaging and maximum temperatures averaging . Yearly, the average low is and the average high is .


Economy

Historically, the city produced
wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeolog ...
,
maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn ( North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. ...
, fruits, and vegetables. It also had a healthy
livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to anima ...
industry. Livestock was exported throughout the country and to
El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by ...
. As of 1850, wheat was the largest export, followed by
cacao Cacao is the seed from which cocoa and chocolate are made, from Spanish cacao, an adaptation of Nahuatl cacaua, the root form of cacahuatl ("bean of the cocoa-tree"). It may also refer to: Plants *''Theobroma cacao'', a tropical evergreen tree ** ...
, sugar,
wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
and
cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor p ...
.


Sports

Quetzaltenango is home to the Club Xelajú MC soccer team. The team competes at Estadio Mario Camposeco which has a capacity of 13,500 and is the most successful non-capital team in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Due to the city's high altitude many athletes have prepared themselves here such as Olympic silver medalist Erick Barrondo and the 2004 Cuban volleyball team. The swimming team has enjoyed success in national and international events. Quetzaltenango withdrew from hosting the
2018 Central American and Caribbean Games The 23rd Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Barranquilla, Colombia. Asamblea ODECABE, Islas Caimán' (translation: "CASCO Assembly, Cayman Islands"). Published by CACSO on 2012-10-27; retrieved 2012-11-13. Bidding process Q ...
. It planned to build a 30,000-seat stadium by 2016, as well seven new facilities for indoor sports and aquatics.


Transportation

The city has a system of micro-buses for quick and cheap movement. A micro-bus is essentially a large van stuffed with seats. Micro-buses are numbered based on the route they take (e.g., "''Ruta 7''"). There is no government-run mass transport system in the city. The sole public means of transport is the bus or micro-buses. Transportation to other cities is provided by bus. Bicycling is a way to get around and to travel to (and in) rural areas. Quetzaltenango Airport provides air service to the city.


Education

Quetzaltenango,(Xela) is the center of many schools and Universities that provide Education to locals and many thousands of students from the surrounding cities and departments (states) and international students from North America and Europe, that's the reason it's a very important city for the south-west/north-west region of the Country of Guatemala, for many decades Quetzaltenango has produced distinguished Citizens through all Educational establishments, among those we can mention: * Centro Universitario de Occidente San Carlos de Guatemala (CUNOC) * Universidad Rafael Landivar * Universidad Mariano Gálvez *
Universidad Mesoamericana Universidad Mesoamericana (in English, Mesoamerican University) is a private university in Guatemala. It has branches in Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango. History In 1971, the Salesians of Don Bosco association signed an agreement of academic ...
* Universidad Francisco Marroquín * Universidad de Occidente * Universidad Galileo * Universidad del Istmo (
Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work a ...
affiliated) * Universidad Del Valle de Guatemala


People born in Quetzaltenango

* Maria Vicenta Rosal (1820–1886), religious leader * Manuel Barillas (1845–1907),
President of Guatemala The president of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de Guatemala), officially known as the President of the Republic of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de la República de Guatemala), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a ...
* Jesus Castillo (1877–1946), Musician * Ricardo Castillo (1891–1966), composer * Rodolfo Robles (1878–1939), physician and philanthropist * Manuel Estrada Cabrera (1898–1924), President of Guatemala * Domingo Bethancourt (1906-1980), Musician *
Rodolfo Galeotti Torres Rodolfo Galeotti Torres (4 March 1912 – 22 May 1988) was a Guatemalan sculptor. Biography Rodolfo Galeotti Torres was born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. He served as director of the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas "Rafael Rodríguez ...
(1912–1988), sculptor * Efraín Recinos (1928–2011), engineer, architect, sculptor *
Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán Jacobo is both a surname and a given name of Spanish origin. Based on the name Jacob. Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Alfredo Jacobo (born 1982), Olympic breaststroke swimmer from Mexico * Cesar Chavez Jacobo, Dominican professio ...
(1913–1971),
President of Guatemala The president of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de Guatemala), officially known as the President of the Republic of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de la República de Guatemala), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a ...
* Alberto Fuentes Mohr (1927–1979), economist, finance minister, foreign minister, social-democratic leaders * Comandante Rolando Morán (1929-1998), one of the guerrilla leaders in the
Guatemalan Civil War The Guatemalan Civil War was a civil war in Guatemala fought from 1960 to 1996 between the government of Guatemala and various leftist rebel groups. The government forces have been condemned for committing genocide against the Maya population ...
*
Carlos Navarrete Cáceres Carlos Alberto Navarrete Cáceres (born January 29, 1931 in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala) is an anthropologist and writer. He studied history and literature at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and received his doctorate in anthropology from ...
(b. 1931), anthropologist and writer * Otto René Castillo (b. 1934), poet and revolutionary *
Danilo Lopez Danilo is a given name found in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Serbian. Notable people with the name Danilo include: Athletes Footballers * Danilo (footballer, born 1979), Brazilian footballer Danilo de Andrade * Danilo (footballer, born 19 ...
(1937-2017), swimmer *
Juan Arturo Gutierrez Pollo Campero is a fast-food restaurant chain, located in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Spain, Bahrain, Belize, Haiti, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Africa, Brazil, Canada, and Italy. The chain has nearl ...
, founder of international fast-food chain
Pollo Campero Pollo Campero is a fast-food restaurant chain, located in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Spain, Bahrain, Belize, Haiti, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Africa, Brazil, Canada, and Italy. The chai ...
* Luis Rolando Ixquiac Xicara (b. 1947), artist *
Julio Serrano Echeverría Julio Serrano Echeverría (born 1983 in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala) is a Guatemalan literature, writer, poet, and filmmaker. He is the founder of the publishing house Libros Mínimos, one of the first Guatemalan publishers in offering publication ...
(b. 1983), poet and writer


Consular representations

* Consulate of El Salvador * Consulate of Italy * Consulate of Mexico *Consulate of Spain


Twin towns – sister cities

Quetzaltenango is
twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...
with: *
Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...
, Mexico * Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico * Livermore, United States * San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico * Santa Fe, Spain * Santa María Huatulco, Mexico * Tapachula, Mexico *
Tromsø Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the 21s ...
, Norway *
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. Th ...
, Italy *
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
, Mexico


See also

*
Luna de Xelajú Luna de Xelajú is a very popular Guatemalan waltz composed by Paco Pérez Francisco Pérez Muñoz (1916–1951) was a singer, composer, and guitarist from Guatemala. Biography Pérez was born on April 25, 1916, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala t ...
*
History of Guatemala The history of Guatemala begins with the Maya civilization (300 BC – 250 AD), which was among those that flourished in their country. The country's modern history began with the Spanish conquest of Guatemala in 1524. Most of the grea ...
* History of Central America


References


External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of the Quetzaltenango Department