Quetzaltenango

About

Quetzaltenango was a pre-Columbian settlement that was originally known as Xelajú before being conquered by the Spanish and their native allies, who renamed it Quetzaltenango. After Central America gained independence from Spain in the 1820s, it served as the capital of the short-lived Central American Confederation, and enjoyed a period of prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th century thanks to a boom in coffee production. Despite being Guatemala’s second-largest city, Quetzaltenango has a well-preserved colonial center with a charming hodgepodge of classical, neoclassical, and Italian Renaissance style building. The squat Ermita de la Concepcion has a beautiful Baroque facade and houses the the oldest altarpieces in Central America and the first effigy of the Virgin Mary brought from Europe. The Espiritu Santo Cathedral is also worth a stop - the newer structure has preserved the intricate facade of the original 16th century parish church.