BY SAMUEL ALVAREZ MORALES<\/p>\n
TRANSLATED BY GEOFF WATSON<\/p>\n
The history of the city dates back to pre-Columbian times. From that time on, it has been an important commercial and cultural center for the region. Its first inhabitants were the Mam, who would call it Kulaja; The Quich\u00e9s conquered it and named it Xelajuj No\u2019j. Finally, on May 15, 1524, it would receive the name Quetzaltenango, after the bloody Spanish conquest.<\/p>\n
From its humble origins as a Mayan center to its transformation into a modern and prosperous city, Quetzaltenango has witnessed important events and transformations throughout the centuries.
\nThe city celebrates 500 years since its founding and, although there are many diverse chapters of history that make the members of our society proud of our origins, few are as significant for Quetzaltecan identity as those in which we have fought to be a sovereign and independent territory.<\/p>\n
The search for sovereignty has left us important lessons that, it seems, with the passage of time we have forgotten. Pioneers of separatism such as Cleto Montiel, Cirilo Flores, and even the leaders of the State of Los Altos sought to ensure that Quetzaltenango was represented with dignity by the local and central governments and worked towards developing all the economic, social, and cultural potential of the region.<\/p>\n
The political, social, and economic histories of Quetzaltenango are intrinsically interconnected, forming a complex fabric of identity and development.<\/p>\n
Although Quetzaltecan society is diverse, dynamic, and resilient, with a rich mix of cultures, traditions, and values that make it unique, today, as we celebrate 500 years of founding, we face significant challenges, such as socioeconomic inequality, lack of opportunities, lack of urban infrastructure, and lack of political representation.
\nAs in Guatemala, politics in Quetzaltenango is also marked by corruption, lack of transparency, and the influence of particular interests in decision-making. This has generated mistrust and discontent among the population, who often feel marginalized and underrepresented by their political leaders.<\/p>\n
From the first attempts at separatism during the colonial era to the most recent political movements, such as the creation of the Sixth State of Los Altos in 1838, the city has been a bastion of resistance and a symbol of the fight for justice, equality, and freedom.<\/p>\n
When commemorating the founding of Quetzaltenango and remembering its history, we must, as organized sectors, as citizens in the free exercise of our rights and duties, ask ourselves: what history are we writing? It seems that our society has stood idly by in the face of the mediocre work of the politicians who \u201crepresent and direct\u201d Quetzaltenango at different levels of government.<\/p>\n
Therefore, we must reaffirm our commitment to continue being a beacon of hope for Guatemalan society, with unlimited potential to build a more prosperous and equitable future where dreams of dignified representation and the development of economic, social, and cultural potential are fulfilled.<\/p>\n
Although Quetzaltenango faces significant challenges in various aspects, it also has great potential to overcome them and build a more prosperous and sustainable future; it can benefit greatly from an approach focused on citizen participation, transparency, and collaboration between different actors in society.<\/p>\n
The key lies in the collaboration and commitment of all stakeholders, including local authorities, civil society, and the private sector, to work together to find effective and lasting solutions to address challenges and seize development opportunities. In the next 500 years, the city can move towards a more prosperous future for all its inhabitants if we remember the ideals that have led us to be so proud of this land.<\/p>\n
Samuel Alvarez Morales. Political analyst, member of Visi\u00f3n Legislativa and founder of Voluntarios por Xela.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BY SAMUEL ALVAREZ MORALES TRANSLATED BY GEOFF WATSON The history of the city dates back to pre-Columbian times. From that time on, it has been an important commercial and cultural center for the region. Its first inhabitants were the Mam, who would call it Kulaja; The Quich\u00e9s conquered it and named it Xelajuj No\u2019j. Finally, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12023,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[453,424,1806,1],"tags":[1122,1123,1015,921,1120,4433,4675,4676,948,1021,4677],"class_list":["post-12041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-frontpage-en","category-politics","category-social-situation","category-uncategorized","tag-conquest","tag-conquista","tag-culture","tag-genocide","tag-history","tag-indigenous-peoples","tag-invasion","tag-local-government","tag-politics","tag-resistance","tag-social-movements"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/whatsapp-image-2024-05-03-at-5.26.36-pm-scaled.jpeg?fit=1349%2C2560&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7ljt7-38d","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12038,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/politica\/quetzaltenango-500-anos-de-historia-desafios-y-esperanza\/","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":0},"title":"Quetzaltenango: 500 a\u00f1os de historia, desaf\u00edos y esperanza","author":"EntreMundos","date":"16 mayo, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"POR SAMUEL ALVAREZ MORALES La historia de la ciudad se remonta a la \u00e9poca precolombina. Desde entonces, fue un importante centro comercial y cultural para la regi\u00f3n. Sus primeros habitantes fueron los Mam, quienes la llamar\u00edan Kulaja; los Quich\u00e9s la conquistaron y la nombraron Xelajuj No\u2019j. Finalmente, el 15 de\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abFrontPage\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"FrontPage","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/frontpage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/whatsapp-image-2024-05-03-at-5.26.36-pm-scaled.jpeg?fit=632%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/whatsapp-image-2024-05-03-at-5.26.36-pm-scaled.jpeg?fit=632%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/whatsapp-image-2024-05-03-at-5.26.36-pm-scaled.jpeg?fit=632%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6603,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/culture\/quetzaltenango-a-story-of-three-names-and-three-exoduses\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":1},"title":"Quetzaltenango: a story of three names and three exoduses","author":"EntreMundos","date":"15 mayo, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"By Christian D\u00edaz First name The story of Quetzaltenango is ancient. There is evidence of its first foundations dating back to the late Preclassic period, when the expansive valley in which the present-day City of Quetzaltenango is located was first inhabited by human beings. In fact, it is known that\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abCulture\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/culture\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2-volcanes-santa-maria-y-santiaguito.jpg?fit=960%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2-volcanes-santa-maria-y-santiaguito.jpg?fit=960%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2-volcanes-santa-maria-y-santiaguito.jpg?fit=960%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/2-volcanes-santa-maria-y-santiaguito.jpg?fit=960%2C640&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6073,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/culture\/the-sixth-state-of-los-altos-2\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":2},"title":"The Sixth State of Los Altos","author":"EntreMundos","date":"2 febrero, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"By: Christian D\u00edaz During the colonial period, the Kingdom of Guatemala was one of Spain\u2019s principal sources of wealth. Its vast territories contained a broad range of natural resources that enriched the criollo elite. (Criollo: European-descended but born in the Americas.) This elite did what it wanted with the classes\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abCulture\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/culture\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/pag.-18-foto-para-cronicas-de-los-altos_-el-sexto-estado-de-la-republica-federal-de-centroamerica.jpg?fit=524%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8180,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/culture\/los-altos-railway-the-altenses-dream-that-became-a-reality-3\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":3},"title":"\u201cLOS ALTOS RAILWAY\u201d The Altenses dream that became a reality","author":"Majo Recinos","date":"10 enero, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"For Christian D\u00edaz (Third Part) IV. Honors to El El\u00e9ctrico For the inauguration of the Los Altos Railway a piece was composed in marimba that later has been transported to many more version such as piano, violin, guitar, percussion, flutes, etc. the melody was called \u201cFerrocarril de Los Altos\u201d a\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abCulture\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/culture\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ferrocarril-8.jpg?fit=890%2C505&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ferrocarril-8.jpg?fit=890%2C505&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ferrocarril-8.jpg?fit=890%2C505&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/ferrocarril-8.jpg?fit=890%2C505&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12199,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/culture\/intercultural-park\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":4},"title":"Intercultural Park","author":"EntreMundos","date":"13 julio, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"BY VALERIA LEIVA \/ TRANSLATED BY SOPHIA OCA\u00d1A An urban park for the strengthening of cultures, the promotion of sports, the encouragement of arts, creative industries, and the dignification of historical memory. Following a deep reflection with artists, architects, and professionals regarding the different needs of the municipality, especially the\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abCulture\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/culture\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/foto21-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/foto21-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/foto21-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/foto21-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/foto21-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C882&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4319,"url":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/youth\/association-for-creativity-and-development-in-guatemala-acd\/?lang=en","url_meta":{"origin":12041,"position":5},"title":"Association for Creativity and Development in Guatemala (ACD)","author":"EntreMundos","date":"30 julio, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Association for Creativity and Development in Guatemala is a not-for-profit organization based on Christian values which are part of life in Western Guatemala.\u00a0 It\u2019s mission is to work in areas of conflict, in support of children and adolescents in vulnerable conditions, gang violence, crime and the risk of migration. Its\u2026","rel":"","context":"En \u00abYouth\u00bb","block_context":{"text":"Youth","link":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/category\/youth\/?lang=en"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/portada-lucia-munoz.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/portada-lucia-munoz.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/portada-lucia-munoz.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/portada-lucia-munoz.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12041"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12042,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12041\/revisions\/12042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.entremundos.org\/revista\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}