HUEHUETENANGO

city, west-central Guatemala. It lies at an elevation of 6,200 feet (1,890 m) above sea level on the southern slopes of the Sierra los Cuchumatanes, which are the highest mountains in the country. The name Huehuetenango means Place of the Ancients, and near the city are ruins of an ancient Indian centre called Zaculeu. Huehuetenango is one of the larger commercial centres for the Maya Indian settlements that dot west-central Guatemala. The principal items that are traded on the traditional market days are pottery, leather goods, foodstuffs, and woolen textiles. Huehuetenango is also a mining centre for lead, copper, and silver. Farmers in the surrounding area mainly grow subsistence crops of wheat, corn (maize), beans, and potatoes. The city is just north of the main Pan-American Highway and is 170 miles (275 km) from Guatemala City. Pop. (1981) 12,422; (1994 est.) 28,912.