Quetzaltenango

Quetzaltenango, the Nahuatl name that the Spanish bestowed upon this town and territory in 1529, it is also known as Xelajú, a Spanish-influenced word derived from the K’iche’ language. Xelajú is believed to mean “beneath the ten” or “beneath the ten wisdoms,” possibly
referring to the ten districts of the city, ten rulers, or ten hills located around it.