The GuateVerde Business Competition will take place in beautiful Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, the country’s 2nd largest city and site of festive markets, language schools, and volcanic hiking excursions.

Quetzaltenango, also known as Xela (shell-ah), has an estimated population of 300,000, consisting of approximately 50% indigenous and 50% mestizos. The municipality is located in a mountain valley, near several volcanoes, 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Guatemala City. Quetzaltenango rests at an altitude of 2,333 meters (7,655 ft) above sea level and comprises an area of 127 square kilometers (49 square miles).

Xela is bordered by the municipalities of: Salcajá, Cantel, Almolonga, Zunil, El Palmar, Concepción Chiquirichapa, San Mateo, La Esperanza, Olintepeque, and San Andrés Xecul. All these municipalities are part of the Department (i.e. state) of Quetzaltenango, except San Andrés Xecul which is part of the Department of Totonicapán.

Quetzaltenango is often referred to as Guatemala’s cultural center and most progressive city. It is an active city, bustling with a mixture of Spanish language schools amidst traditional Guatemalan life. Locals make chocolate and tortillas by hand in their shops, weavers demonstrate traditional weaving-styles of the area at local women’s cooperatives, and indigenous-owned farmers give tours of locally-grown organic fair-trade coffee farms.

The city of Quetzaltenango was founded by the Spanish on May 15, 1524, after Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado and his army invaded and overtook this part of the Guatemalan highlands. The area quickly became the site of many small towns which formed the municipality of Quetzaltenango. The city center displays both Spanish and German architectural and cultural influences. Quetzaltenango has six universities and several technical schools, attended by 35,000 students from all over the country. The municipality has the highest number of elementary, middle, high school, and universities per capita in Guatemala.

The climate in Xela is temperate, thanks to its latitude and altitude, and consists of two main seasons: the rainy season, which generally runs from May through mid-November, and the dry season, which runs from December until May.

Quetzaltenango is big, but by Guatemalan standards, it is an orderly, clean and safe city. In terms of industry, Xela demonstrates how indigenous people have obtained economic and political power in Guatemala running small and big businesses. The department of Quetzaltenango is known for the high quality of its coffee, wheat, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, as well as wool and cattle. Currently, major industries include beer and liquor production, textiles, and flour milling.