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The Quiché Indians took control of the
Quezaltenango area from the Mam nation two hundred years before the Spanish
conquest of Guatemala. The Quichés built their walled city, Xelajuj, which
means "under the ten hills." Quezaltenango is still known by
Guatemalans as Xela.
Xelaju was eventually abandoned around the time
that the Spanish defeated the forces of Tecún Umán. The Spanish created the
new Quezaltenango nearby and it became a center of Spanish power.
Guatemala’s best soil for growing coffee is in
the Quezaltenango area and the city enjoyed prosperity from this crop in the
late 19th Century. This came to a quick end when the earthquake of
1902 struck Quezaltenango, almost destroying the entire city. The city was
rebuilt with grand style. Many of the buildings surrounding the central park
are neo-classic examples from this period.
COLONIAL MONUMENTS IN XELA: The
Cathedral, with a 17th Century facade right on the square; just the facade is old,
the church itself is modern. The Teatro Municipal (Neoclassic Municipal theater) on 14 Ave and 1
Street is
another monument worth visiting.
Other
sights are the city market and the Parque Centroamerica (Central
America Park) filled with beautiful statues and flowers.
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