About Xela...

Guatemala is located in the southern part of Mexico, and Quetzaltenango is in the southwest part of Guatemala, as shown on the map below...

Along with its stunning natural beauty and cultural richness, Guatemala is easy to get to and extremely known for its clearly enunciated and easy-to understand Spanish.

Sitting 2,333 meters (7,654 feets) above sea level in an extensive valley surrounded by rugged hills and volcanoes, Quetzaltenango is still commonly called by its original K’iche name “Xelajú” or simply “Xela”. The city derived from a K´iche stronghold, but “officially” came into existence in 1845. With its strategic location on the capital pacific lowland trade route, Quetzaltenango soon became the second most important city in Guatemala, with 300,000 inhabitants and three major universities.

Nowadays, Quetzaltenango is an intersection of Maya tradition, the colonial past and modern life, and therefore a never-ending source of striking and at times disconcerting contrasts: adobe huts with dirt floors and malls with frozen yogurt shops, internet cafes and altars to local patron saints, men in Italian suits talking on cell phones and barefoot, traditionally dressed Maya carrying home stacks of firewood on their heads or backs.

Unlike other popular postcard destinations for Spanish study that are dominated by tourism, Quetzaltenango, though rough around the edges, is a more real city and so a better place for learning real Spanish and understanding Latin America.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

EL QUETZAL Spanish School
10ª.Calle 10-29 ZONA 1
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. C.A.
Tel: (502) 7765-1085
elquetzalschool@yahoo.com