Huehuetenango
Encyclopedia
Huehuetenango is a city
and a municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala
. It is also the capital of the department of Huehuetenango
. The municipality's population was over 81,000 people in 2002. The city is located 269 km from Guatemala City
, and is the last departmental capital on the Pan-American Highway
before reaching the Mexican border at La Mesilla
.
) was already a Maya
n settlement before the Spanish
conquest of the fortified city of Zaculeu
, which was the Pre-Columbian
capital of the Mam kingdom situated just a few kilometers from Xinabahul. The name 'Huehuetenango' means place of the ancients (or ancestors) in Nahuatl which is the name Gonzalo de Alvarado
adopted from his Nahua allies when Zaculeu and Xinabahul were conquered.
Many people of Mam descent
still live in and around Huehuetenango, and the nearby ruins of Zaculeu have become a tourist attraction. These ruins are markedly distinct from other Mayan archeological sites; the original unearthed stones, comprising only a small portion of the original structures, were coated with plaster
during restoration works carried out in the 1940s. There is also a small museum at Zaculeu which includes statues and small artifacts found on the site.
Huehuetenango's primary export is coffee.
A small airport is currently under construction.
joining Deportivo Xinabajul
in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala.
Efraín Ríos Montt
was born in Huehuetenango.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and a municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. It is also the capital of the department of Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango (department)
Huehuetenango is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. It is situated in the western highlands and shares borders with México in the north and west; with El Quiché in the east, with Totonicapán, Quetzaltenango, and San Marcos to the south. The capital is the city of Huehuetenango.Huehuetenango's...
. The municipality's population was over 81,000 people in 2002. The city is located 269 km from Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
, and is the last departmental capital on the Pan-American Highway
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads measuring about in total length. Except for an rainforest break, called the Darién Gap, the road links the mainland nations of the Americas in a connected highway system. According to Guinness World Records, the Pan-American Highway is the world's...
before reaching the Mexican border at La Mesilla
La Mesilla
La Mesilla is a village in La Libertad municipality, Huehuetenango Department, Guatemala. It is the home of Peñarol La Mesilla football club.La Mesilla lies close to the border with Mexico, between Huehuetenango city and Comitán, Mexico.-External links:*...
.
Overview
Huehuetenango (originally called Xinabahul in the Mam languageMam language
Mam is a Mayan language with almost 480,000 speakers as of 2002, spoken in the Mexican state of Chiapas and the Guatemalan departments of Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango and San Marcos....
) was already a Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
n settlement before the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conquest of the fortified city of Zaculeu
Zaculeu
Zaculeu or Saqulew is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in the highlands of western Guatemala, about outside of the modern city of Huehuetenango. Occupation at the site dates back as far as the Early Classic period of Mesoamerican history...
, which was the Pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
capital of the Mam kingdom situated just a few kilometers from Xinabahul. The name 'Huehuetenango' means place of the ancients (or ancestors) in Nahuatl which is the name Gonzalo de Alvarado
Gonzalo de Alvarado
Gonzalo de Alvarado was the name of two Spanish conquistadors, both related to Pedro de Alvarado and participating in the conquest of Mexico and Central America...
adopted from his Nahua allies when Zaculeu and Xinabahul were conquered.
Many people of Mam descent
Mam people
The Mam are a Native American people in the western highlands of Guatemala and in south-western Mexico.Most Mam live in Guatemala, in the departments of Huehuetenango, San Marcos, and Quetzaltenango...
still live in and around Huehuetenango, and the nearby ruins of Zaculeu have become a tourist attraction. These ruins are markedly distinct from other Mayan archeological sites; the original unearthed stones, comprising only a small portion of the original structures, were coated with plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
during restoration works carried out in the 1940s. There is also a small museum at Zaculeu which includes statues and small artifacts found on the site.
Huehuetenango's primary export is coffee.
A small airport is currently under construction.
Sports
The city currently boasts two Guatemalan top level football sides with Peñarol La MesillaPeñarol La Mesilla
Club Deportivo Peñarol La Mesilla is a Guatemalan professional football club based in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.They compete in the Liga Nacional, the top division in the nation, and play their home matches at the Estadio Los Cuchumatanes.-Current squad:...
joining Deportivo Xinabajul
Deportivo Xinabajul
Deportivo Xinabajul is a Guatemalan professional football club based in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.Founded in 1980, they currently compete in the Liga Nacional, the top division in the nation, and play their home matches at the Estadio Los Cuchumatanes....
in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala.
Notable people
Former presidentPresident of Guatemala
The title of President of Guatemala has been the usual title of the leader of Guatemala since 1839, when that title was assumed by Mariano Rivera Paz...
Efraín Ríos Montt
Efraín Ríos Montt
José Efraín Ríos Montt is a former de facto President of Guatemala, dictator, army general, and former president of Congress. In the 2003 presidential elections, he unsuccessfully ran as the candidate of the ruling Guatemalan Republican Front .Huehuetenango-born Ríos Montt remains one of the most...
was born in Huehuetenango.