In the 19th century, coffee was introduced as a major crop in the area and the economy of Xela prospered. Featured
Following Guatemala's declaration of independence from Spain, the history of Quetzaltenango was boosted with the establishment of the state of Los Altos. The town prospered in the late-19th-century coffee boom, with brokers opening warehouses and
Hauptstadt ist die gleichnamige Stadt Quetzaltenango. All rights reserved. Best in Travel In pre-Columbian times Quetzaltenango was a city of the Mam Maya people, and was called Xelajú, a name that may be derived from "Xe laju' noj," meaning "under ten mountains." Coffee plantations in the area surrounding Quetzaltenango helped make the city prosperous in the late 19th century. Yearly, average low is 6 °C, and average high is 22 °C.
The Santa María volcano, … This natural museum is home to a wealth of fascinating artifacts, including vintage photographs, preserved flora and fauna, musical instruments, and many other items that tell of Mayan culture and history.
It has a great atmosphere – 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.
During the colonial period, Quetzaltenango became the city's official name.
Die Spanier gaben der Stadt Xelajú (wahrscheinlich „unter den 10 Bergen“) den Nahuatl-Namen, der von ihren zentralmexikanischen (… It was near here that the Kâicheâ leader Tecún Umán was defeated and killed by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado in 1524. An earthquake struck on 18 April 1902, with its epicentre within the Santa María volcano. Quetzaltenango, with a population of 250,000, is located 200km west of Guatemala City and is the commercial center for southwest Guatemala.
First inhabited by Mayan people, the city fell under both Spanish and German influence before becoming an important coffee-trading center. The Discover Series
History Quetzaltenango came under the sway of the K’iche’ Maya of K’umarcaaj when they began their great expansion in the 14th century. 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. Featured By the time of the Spanish Conquest, it had become part of the K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj and was already over 300 years old. This status only lasted until 1840, when the federation broke up amidst infighting. Before the conquest, Quetzaltenango had been the capital of a K’iche’ kingdom known as Xelajú, and in 1838 it became the capital of the independent state of Los Altos.
Es erstreckt sich auf 1.951 km² und hat etwa 882.600 Einwohner.