Quetzaltenango, whose name is roughly translated as “place where there are erected walls”, is the second most-populated city in Guatemala, though with a population of about 300,000, it is far less crowded than Guatemala City.

Situated in a mountain valley at an altitude of 2,333 meters (7,655 feet), this city was established in the 13th century. The Spanish conquered it in 1520, and today the city boasts many fine examples of Belle Époque architecture, indicative of its prosperity in the late 19th century, largely due to the success of its coffee crops.

Scores of language schools in Quetzaltenango attract foreign students who come to study Spanish and the city tends to resemble a typical college town, with lots of coffeehouses and bookstores.