Guatemala’s Amazing Western Highlands Part 2: Huehuetenango, Zaculeu & Why You Should Visit

Continuing my last post, I wanted to talk about Huehuetenango a bit more, and discuss the ruins of Zaculeu and I had a chance to visit while there.

Huehuetenango is a great stop for anyone traveling through Guatemala, it’s a big city, with lots of things to see and do. If you like history, well, it’s the historical capital of the Mam Empire, the current capital of the region and is about 90% Mam Mayan descendants.

There’s so much culture and history to explore, you could spend a week there if you wanted to see everything. Going up to Zaculeu was a really interesting experience. It had been settled originally around 600AD, and was the capital of the Mam Empire until the K’iche Mayans took control around the 12th Century. From that time, it was continuously inhabited again, until the Spanish Conquistadors took control in the early 16th Century, after starving out the remaining Mayan opposition.

It’s not a huge site to see, and can easily be explored in an hour or so. You can take either a Tuktuk or a chicken bus up to the site from the downtown area as well for just a few quetzales.

As I mentioned previously, I think the Western Highlands route is one that is too often overlooked by travelers through Guatemala. It’s scenic beauty, driving through the mountains from town to town, is worth it alone. So many places that almost never get tourists of any kind.

When I was in Momostenango (more to come on that later!), I was told by a local that I was the only international tourist in town! How cool is that!

It’s very inexpensive too. From lodgings to food, to things to see, it was a step down in costs for sure from what I’d seen in Flores and other places. While in Huehuetenango, I stayed at the Hotel Shinula, and would recommend it as a budget-friendly place in the center of town.

If you’d like to check out my adventures at Zaculeu, and hear more about my reasons why I think this part of Guatemala is certainly worth your time, you can check out my video on Youtube here: