Huehuetenango, often shortened to Huehue, is a very utilitarian town. There are no big tourist attractions, and the majority of visitors stop in Huehue on their way to or from somewhere else. Despite the lack of "bells and whistles", or perhaps because of it, I found Huehue to be one of my favorite stops during my month in Guatemala.
I loved reading and people-watching in the pretty central park, the only tourist among a hundred people enjoying the large shade trees. I chatted with friendly local people, and had a long discussion with a local woman about forest fires – and her amazement that women in the US fight fires as a profession.
Just across from central park is a drug store, where the owner for some reason befriended us, and decided to show us his huge collection of foreign currency, which he had proudly displayed in glass cases on all of the walls of the pharmacy. He collected the money over many years of attending conferences.
One of my favorite places to eat in Guatemala was also in Huehuetenango. Just off the main plaza, Cafeteria Las Palmeras was packed with local people – always a good sign. A friendly woman, who seemed to be a head waitress or owner, brought out a plate of the "lunch of the day" to show us what was on it. She anticipated our almost daily struggle to figure out what the heck to order. Besides the great service, the food was really good and there was lots of it. We were given large plates filled with cucumber/tomato salad, potatoes, beets, choice of meat, plus chicken noodle soup, insane quantities of freshly made tortillas, and a soda. The price of this feast? Twenty quetzales, or $2.50! The side dishes change each day, but the basics are the same.
Another good place to eat is Mi Tierra Café, around the corner from the plaza on 4a Calle. This café definitely caters to the small but steady stream of westerners passing through the area. Food choices here would be more along the line of hamburgers or nachos (not a normal Guatemalan dish), and chocolate cake – that sort of thing. But the atmosphere is comfortable, and there is good visitor information and Internet access.
Huehuetenango was also where I got my first good look at the traditional dress of the Mayan people. While Huehue citizens are not terribly traditional, villagers from the mountains come to town for market (located east of the plaza a few blocks on 3a Calle). The highland villages of northwest Guatemala contain some of the last pockets of people still upholding some of the traditional ways. And while not much of the traditional culture remains, some of the people seem to be realizing what they have and are trying to keep what is left of their culture as much as they can and pass it on to their children.