Huehuetenango
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Huehuetenango

Huehuetenango

Guatemalan highland capital used as a base for the Cuchumatanes Mountains and Mam Maya Zaculeu ruins

Huehuetenango ("Huehue") is a departmental capital in the far northwest highlands, a jumping-off point for the remote Cuchumatanes Mountains — the highest non-volcanic range in Central America, with peaks over 3,800 metres. The mountains are spectacular and largely off the tourist trail.

Just outside the town are the ruins of Zaculeu, the former capital of the Mam Maya people, captured by Pedro de Alvarado in 1525. The site was controversially restored in the 1940s with fresh white plaster by the United Fruit Company, giving it an odd, too-clean appearance, but the hilltop position is dramatic and crowds are minimal.

The town of Todos Santos Cuchumatán, two hours into the mountains from Huehuetenango, is one of the most traditional communities in Guatemala. The Mam Maya here still wear the distinctive red-and-white striped trousers and embroidered shirts that identify the town. The annual horse race on November 1 — All Saints' Day — is one of the most extraordinary festivals in the country (see Festivals).

Huehuetenango is also a transit point for the Mexican border crossing at La Mesilla, two hours west — useful for travelers heading to San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Guide

Eating Out

Huehue is a working Guatemalan town and its restaurants are straightforward — grilled meats, comida típica, pepián stews and tamales — rather than aimed at tourists. A handful of restaurants near the central Parque Central serve decent set lunches for a few dollars. For something more substantial, Restaurante Las Brasas and Restaurante Le Kaf are long-running local favourites. The central market, south of the plaza, is the best place for cheap breakfasts, fruit, and antojitos prepared on the spot.

Guide

Getting There

The only way to reach Huehuetenango is by road. Guatemala City is about 5–6 hours by direct bus on the CA-1 (Pan-American Highway); the best company for the run is Transportes Los Halcones, which runs comfortable express buses several times a day from its terminal at 7 Avenida 15-27, Zona 1 in Guatemala City to its office at 7 Avenida 3-62, Zona 1 in Huehuetenango. Cheaper but slower chicken buses also run throughout the day. Huehuetenango is on the main route between Guatemala City and the Mexican border at La Mesilla — about 90 minutes further west — so it is a useful overnight stop for travellers crossing to San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas.

Guide

Things to Do

The main draws in and around Huehuetenango are the pre-Columbian ruins of Zaculeu, a few kilometres outside the town, and the extraordinary mountain village of Todos Santos Cuchumatán, two hours up into the Cuchumatanes. Zaculeu was the capital of the Mam Maya kingdom until it fell to Pedro de Alvarado's forces after a two-month siege in 1525; its dramatic hilltop position is still worth a visit, though the 1940s restoration by the United Fruit Company — who covered the ruins in bright white plaster — gave it an oddly uniform look that archaeologists have never forgiven. Todos Santos is one of the most traditional Maya towns in Guatemala: the men still wear the distinctive red-and-white striped trousers and embroidered shirts, and the All Saints' Day (1 November) horse race — in which drunk horsemen charge up and down the town on borrowed horses — is one of the most extraordinary sights in Central America. Further into the mountains, the Cuchumatanes themselves offer long walks, high-altitude villages, and some of the best mountain scenery in Guatemala for hikers prepared to rough it.