Even older than Antigua, Xela was originally a Maya city and is said to have been at least 300 years old when the Spanish first arrived in the 1520s. The Spanish didn't waste any time in conquering the city and laying their own foundations, which now sprawl unevenly across the hilly terrain. The streets of Xela, winding up and down hills with buildings impossibly stacked upon each other, are faintly reminiscent of San Francisco, California.
Xela is the administrative capital of Guatemala's western highlands and, unlike Antigua, is less geared towards tourists and more geared towards business. That aside, there is still a definite gringo presence in the city. It's renowned for its Spanish language schools and there are numerous agencies that facilitate hikes and similar adventures around the countryside, which, like most of Guatemala, are dotted with volcanoes.
We spent the greater part of the day wandering through the city streets, admiring the Parque Central and visiting one of the many mercados in the city. Later in the evening we received a pre-hike orientation from Quetzaltrekkers, the group responsible for organizing our backpacking adventure.
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| Mercado, Xela |
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| Parque Central, Xela |