| Quetzaltenango Xelaju |
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| — City — | |
| Quetzaltenango | |
| View of the Central Park Square in Quetzaltenango | |
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Quetzaltenango
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Guatemala |
| Department | Quetzaltenango |
| Municipality | |
| Foundation | May 7, 1524 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Mito Barrientos, Grand National Alliance |
| Area | |
| • City | 120 km2 (46.3 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,330 m (7,644 ft) |
| Population (2011 Estimate) | |
| • City | 225,000 |
| • Metro | 661,375 |
| Demonym | Quetzalteña/o, Quetzalteca/o, Chiva/o, Xelateca/o |
| Time zone | Central America (UTC-6) |
Quetzaltenango, also commonly known by its indigenous name, Xelajú [ʃelaˈχu], or more commonly, Xela [ˈʃela], is the second largest city of Guatemala.[1] It is both the capital of Quetzaltenango Department and the municipal seat of Quetzaltenango municipality.
It has an estimated population of 224,703. The population is about 61% indigenous or Amerindian, 34% Mestizo or ladino and 5% European. Quetzaltenango is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of 2,330 meters (7,655 ft) above sea level at its lowest part. It may reach above 2,400 meters within the city.
The Municipality of Quetzaltenango consists of an area of 127 square kilometres (49 sq mi). Municipalities abutting the municipality of Quetzaltenango include: Salcajá, Cantel, Almolonga, Zunil, El Palmar, Concepción Chiquirichapa, San Mateo, La Esperanza, Olintepeque, and San Andrés Xecul. All these municipalities are part of the Department of Quetzaltenango, except San Andrés Xecul which is a part of the Department of Totonicapán.
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In Pre-Columbian times Quetzaltenango was a city of the Mam Maya people called Xelajú, although by the time of the Spanish Conquest it had become part of the K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj. 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 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 name used by his Central Mexican Indian allies, "Quetzaltenango", generally considered to mean "the place of the quetzal bird" (although see note on etymology below). Quetzaltenango became the city's official name in colonial times. However, many people (especially, but not only, the indigenous population) continue to call the city "Xelajú" (pronounced shay-lah-WHO) or more commonly Xela for short, and some proudly, but unofficially, consider it the "capital of the Mayas".
From 1838 to 1840 Quetzaltenango was capital of the state of Los Altos, one of the states or provinces of the Federal Republic of Central America. As the union broke up, the army of Guatemala under Rafael Carrera conquered Quetzaltenango making it again part of Guatemala.
In the 19th century, coffee was introduced as a major crop in the area and the economy of Xela prospered. Much fine Belle Époque architecture can still be found in the city.
In the 1920s a young Gypsy 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 broken relationships. The Guatemalan songwriter Alvaro Aguilar wrote a song based on this legend.[[File:VanushkaTomb.jpg]]
In 1930 the only electric railway in Guatemala, the Ferrocarril de los Altos, was inaugurated, which was later destroyed by mudslides and finally demolished in 1933. It had been built by AEG and Krupp and it consisted of 14 wagons. The track connected Quetzaltenango with San Felipe Retalhuleu. The people of Quetzaltenango are still very proud of their railway. A railway museum has been established in the city centre.
Since the late 90's, Quetzaltenango is having an economy boom. What makes it the second city in economy importance in Guatemala. With its first high-raise buildings being built. Its expected by 2015 have a more prominent skyline with building no higher than 15 floors.
In 2008 the Central American Congress PARLACEN stated that every September 15th, Quetzaltenango will be Cetral America's capital of culture. [2]
According to Köppen climate classification, Quetzaltenango features a subtropical highland climate. In general, the climate in Quetzaltenango can go from cool to chilly, with occasional sporadic warm episodes. The daily high, which refreshes its residents giving them a bit of sunshine and heat, usually is reached around noon. From then on, temperatures decrease exceptionally fast. The city is quite dry, except during the rainy season. Quetzaltenango is widely regarded as one of the chilliest cities in Guatemala. It is, but there are even colder cities, all of them owing to their altitude, such as Totonicapan. From mid-November to late January, it isn't unusual to see temperatures in the morning as low as −3 °C. Residents are quite accustomed to that phenomenon.
There are two main seasons in Quetzaltenango (as in all of Guatemala); the rainy season, which generally runs from late May through late September, and the dry season, which runs from early October until May. 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. There have been known episodes of snow falling in the city and nearby towns. Hail isn't quite common though.
Coldest months are October through February, with minimum temperatures averaging 4.1 °C. Day temperatures averaging 13.6 °C, and Maximum temperatures averaging 22.1 °C.
Warmest months are March through July, with minimum temperatures averaging 8.3 °C. Day temperatures averaging 16.2 °C, and Maximum temperatures averaging 23.3 °C.
Yearly, average low is 6.9 °C, day average is 14 °C, average high is 22.6 °C.
Below, is a chart for better comprehension.
| Climate data for Quetzaltenango - Labor Ovalle Weather Station - 2010. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 28.4 (83.1) |
27.8 (82.0) |
29.0 (84.2) |
27.0 (80.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.8 (78.4) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.8 (76.6) |
23.6 (74.5) |
24.0 (75.2) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
23.91 (75.04) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 23.0 (73.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
25.5 (77.9) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.1 (73.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.1 (71.8) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.3 (70.3) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.56 (72.61) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 13.2 (55.8) |
14.8 (58.6) |
15.9 (60.6) |
15.9 (60.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
16.4 (61.5) |
15.9 (60.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
15.3 (59.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
14.97 (58.95) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) |
4.0 (39.2) |
4.0 (39.2) |
7.8 (46.0) |
9.9 (49.8) |
10.0 (50.0) |
9.6 (49.3) |
10.1 (50.2) |
10.5 (50.9) |
8.0 (46.4) |
6.2 (43.2) |
0.8 (33.4) |
6.86 (44.35) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6 (21.2) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
1.2 (34.2) |
1.6 (34.9) |
5.0 (41.0) |
5.8 (42.4) |
7.6 (45.7) |
7.6 (45.7) |
3.8 (38.8) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
1.48 (34.66) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 1.0 (0.039) |
6.0 (0.236) |
5.0 (0.197) |
100.0 (3.937) |
396.0 (15.591) |
165.0 (6.496) |
170.0 (6.693) |
215.0 (8.465) |
321.0 (12.638) |
50.0 (1.969) |
5.0 (0.197) |
0.0 (0) |
1,434.0 (56.457) |
| Avg. rainy days | 1 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 23 | 28 | 27 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 151 |
| Sunshine hours | 249.9 | 213.8 | 273.0 | 199.9 | 189.1 | 142.9 | 141.8 | 136.0 | 122.3 | 194.0 | 199.0 | 268.6 | 194.2 |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Sismologia, Vulcanologia, Meteorologia, e Hidrologia [3] | |||||||||||||
Quetzaltenango is known in Guatemala as "The City that is the Soul of Culture". The city is has a lively music scene, and is home to numerous jazz and blues bands in addition to musicians playing in the native style. There is also a broader art scene focused on painting, singing and sculpture. Xela, the center of Quetzaltenango, is major tourist destination, and the city also attracts a large number of students seeking to learn Spanish.[4]
Xela is famous for having great places for enjoying nightife around its Parque Central, with bars, nightclubs, and hotels. Also the illuminated Parque Central is one of the most beautiful landmarks of Guatemala.
The original Nahuatl name was quetzaltenānco, quetzal-tenān-co, of which a likely etymology is:
or
(Note that while quetzalli also means feather of the quetzal bird it also means something erected, and it became associated with quetzal feathers because those were the kind of feathers that Mesoamerican rulers used in their erect head-dresses.)
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