Visiting Quetzaltenango

An earthquake in April 1902 leveled much of Quetzaltenango, making it difficult to appreciate what the city Father José Cleto Montiel and Rafael Carrera once knew looked like. This does not mean, however, that the place locals call “Xela” is unworthy of a visit. Rather, thanks to its position as Guatemala’s second largest city, its importance as a center of Maya culture, and a decided lack of large tourist groups, Quetzaltenango offers tangible rewards. What the city lacks in charm is balanced by its stunning natural surroundings and opportunity to see real, everyday Guatemalan life. 

Quetzaltenango’s elevation is 7,654 feet, and it sits in a bowl-shaped valley that is surrounded by volcanic peaks reaching over 12,000 feet. Its average temperature is 60º, which makes it pleasant year-round, with most of the area’s rainfall coming between May and October. The heart of the city is the Parque Centro América. Quetzaltenango’s cathedral, with its original baroque façade and rebuilt nave, stands on the square’s eastern side, next to the neoclassical city hall with its splendid interior courtyard. The west side of the square is dominated by the Pasaje Enriquez, a turn-of-the-century, beaux-arts shopping arcade now full of restaurants, travel agencies, and language schools. On the south end of square stands the Casa de la Cultura, which was once the location of the Liberal penitentiary, and now houses the municipal library, a small theater, and two museums. Their displays, which center around the Liberal accession in 1871 and Liberal accomplishments in government, are mainly of interest to those who understand Quetzaltenango’s history. 

This is also true of the tall stone monument to Justo Rufino Barrios that sits at the center of Parque Centro América. Erected in 1941, its art deco overtones evoke of confidence and a sense of progress. There are also smaller monuments around town to the leaders of the independent state and nation of Los Altos or the Liberal leaders of Guatemala. One example is a plinth located on 4a Calle near the General Cemetery with an inscription that also commemorates Barrios. Another is a large bust of Manuel Lisando Barillas at the intersection of Avenida La Independencia and 7a Calle. He was the President of Guatemala from 1885 to 1892 and the mayor of Quetzaltenango between 1896 and 1898.  Perhaps more appealing, however, is the fierce statue to Tecun Uman, the K’iche’ leader who died in 1524 battling the Spanish. This memorial is about two and a half miles north of Parque Centro América in the middle of a large roundabout. Visits to the Mayan weaving museum, Museo Ixkik’, and to Museo del Ferrocarril, which commemorates the failed railroad, are worthwhile. Quetzaltenango’s markets, with all their colors and chaos, are not to be missed.

Hiking is a popular activity for tourists and there are a number of treks for the hearty to attempt, but these should only be undertaken with a local guide because of safety issues. One is a three-day trek from Quetzaltenango to Lake Atitlán. Another is to climb 12,375-foot Santa Maria, a dormant volcano whose graceful, tree-covered cone dominates the region. Tour companies in Quetzaltenango make the logistics for these and other trips easy. Visits to the smaller towns around Quetzaltenango are worthwhile, but because Guatemala is a poor country with a high crime rate, caution is warranted.

(Image: Casa No'j cultural centre, 7a calle 12-12, Zona 1, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, courtesy of Simon Burchell and Wikimedia Commons.)