Quezaltenango

Quezaltenango (kāsältānäng`gō), city (1994 est. pop. 90,801), SW Guatemala. The city is the metropolis of the western highlands (it is 7,500 ft/2,286 m above sea level) and the second city of Guatemala. The city has much diversified light industry, including textile manufacturing and brewing. The development of hydroelectric power has helped make it a leading industrial city of Central America. Quezaltenango was rebuilt after being severely damaged in 1902 by an eruption of nearby Santa María volcano (12,362 ft/3,768 m). The site of the city was the center of the ancient Quiché kingdom of Xelaju; the region is still dominated by Quiché inhabitants.

---

Quezaltenango 

a city in Guatemal, located near the Pan American Highway at an elevation of 2,350 m. Capital of the department of Quezaltenango. Population, 70,500 (1970). Quezaltenango is the country’s second largest city and second in economic importance. Textile manufacturing andhandicrafts are the most important economic activities. The city is the center of an agricultural region (primarily corn).