Since 1988,
the non-profit Proyecto Lingüístico
Quetzalteco de Español (PLQE) has
provided socially responsible Spanish language
studies in the highland city of Quetzaltenango,
Guatemala. Quetzaltenango (more commonly
called Xela, pronounced "Shay-la")
is Guatemala's second largest city and is
located in the heart of the Sierra Madre
mountains, 2,330 meters (7,652 feet) above
sea level. The Santa Maria volcano (3,772
meters tall) watches over the town. Days
are warm and breezy, and evenings are cool,
becoming chilly during the winter months
between December and February.
Queltzaltenango
is characterized by colonial-era buildings,
quiet parks, plazas, open-air markets, and
narrow stone-paved streets. It is the home
of four universities, several technical
schools, a sports complex, and a municipal
arts theater, as well as several Latin American
poets, painters, and writers. The Quetzaltecos,
or residents of Quetzaltenango, who are
a warm, friendly people, provide unlimited
opportunities for students to pratice their
Spanish.
Xela central plaza
PLQE is located
in Zona 1, on 5a Calle, a short walk from
the Parque Central. In Zona 1, there are
numerous restaurants, bars, cafes and internet
centers--in short, everything you need to
relax, meet people, and stay in touch with
your friends and family back home. There
are two alternative cinemas in town which
feature a range of English and Spanish language
movies. Further out of the center are two
larger markets, and even a few shopping
malls and mainstream movie theatres.
There are plenty
of things to do within easy reach of Quetzaltenango.
Perhaps the most famous destination--and
deservedly so--are the Fuentes Georginas,
a wonderfully relaxing set of volcanic hotsprings
set in a mountainous rainforest. Those who
want to soak longer than an afternoon may
stay the night in one of the bungalows near
the hotsprings. Zunil, a town at the foothills
of the volcano that feeds the Georginas,
is famous for its devotion to the Mayan/Catholic
deity Maximon, or San Simon, who spends
a year at a time in local homes, receiving
gifts of alcohol, cigarettes and lit candles
in exchange for favors. The town also features
a woman-run weaving cooperative. On the
other side of Quetzaltenango is the pueblo
of Salcaja, renowned for its textile production
and for its Cathedral, the oldest in Guatemala.
A bit further off is the Laguna de Chicabal,
a beautiful nature reserve and lake nestled
in temperate forests. Apart from these commonly
visited sites, PLQE also arranges weekly
trips to places of cultural and social interest,
such as the community radio station in Santiago
de Atitlan, or centers of traditional medicine
located in outlying villages.
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