Quetzaltenango
Cradle of Culture and Revolutions, also known as Xela
FROM Lake Atitlán, I continued my westward journey through the highlands of central Guatemala to the city of Quetzaltenango, also known by its historic Mayan name of Xela (or Xelajú).
Quetzaltenango is a Native American name, from quetzal (presumably the bird) and -tenango, meaning home of, place of, or town, a common suffix in Central America.
Ironically, this kind of indigenous name, so distinctive of the region, was bestowed by the conquistadors. It comes from the Nahuatl language of Mexico, the language of the Aztecs, who were allied to the Spanish in the early 1500s.
This is why many people from Quetzaltenango now prefer to call their city and its surrounding department of the same name Xelajú — thought to come from a phrase meaning ‘under ten mountains’ in the local Mayan language (Mam), and in use at the time of the conquest — or the shorter version, Xela.
Like Antigua — a name which means ‘ancient’— Xela is of great historical importance, and is generally said to be the second largest city in Guatemala; though, like Antigua, even Xela is much smaller…
