Quetzaltenango or Xelajú?

All the highway signs direct you to "Quetzaltenango", but once you arrive, you'll hear most residents refer to their city by its one-time indigenous name, "Xelajú" (Shay-la-HOO) or, more commonly, "Xela" for short. The long version was Xelajú Noj, meaning "under 10 mountains." Originally part of the Mam empire, Quetzaltenango was captured in the 14th century by the Quiché people. It remained part of the Quiché kingdom until 1524, when Spanish conqueror Pedro de Alvarado captured and destroyed the city. He used the stones to build a new city called Quetzaltenango, which means "the place of many quetzals" in Mexico's Nahuatl language.

Nearly five centuries later, the new name still sticks in the collective craw of many here. Some, as a matter of pride and tradition, would never let the word "Quetzaltenango" pass their lips. Others are more pragmatic: "Xela" is just quicker to say and write.