Quetzaltenango
Guatemala · Americas
About Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango is a municipality and namesake department in western Guatemala. The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of 2,330 meters (7,640 feet) above sea level at its lowest part. Inside the city, it can reach above 2,400 m (7,900 ft).
Quetzaltenango is a part of the Los Altos Metropolitan Area, which also includes the municipalities of Salcajá, Cantel, Almolonga, Zunil, Concepción Chiquirichapa, San Mateo, La Esperanza, San Juan Ostuncalco, Olintepeque, San Miguel Sigüilá, and Cajolá in Quetzaltenango Department, as well as San Cristóbal Totonicapán and San Andrés Xecul in Totonicapán Department.
As of the 2018 census, the city has a population of 180,706 in 122 km2 (47 sq mi). 43% of the population was indigenous in 2014.
The word "Quetzaltenango" is a Nahuatl word meaning "the walled place of the quetzal bird." The resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala, and the Guatemalan quetzal is the currency of Guatemala. Quetzaltenango became the city's official name in colonial times.
Many people, especially the indigenous population...
Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.