Quetzaltenango was once the very theatre of action where conquistador Spain clashed with the Maya K'iche. Ever since, it stands as a veritable microcosm of the myriad cultures that have moved between the coffee-rich valleys of the Guatemalan Western Highlands. In the town’s heart (Zona One), a curiously congruent mishmash of Germanic blocks, Belle Epoque edifices, Gothic facades and Spanish colonialism creates an eclectic veneer that keeps travellers guessing (particular gems include the neo-classical Municipal Theatre and the structures lining Central Park). And just when visitors thought it was all over, Zona One gives way to the hubbub of Zona Three, where craft sellers in sprawling marketplaces try in vain to mimic the relics of the Museo Ixkik, cafes thrum with the chatter of ex-pat students fresh from Spanish class, and footballs bounce around leafy Zoologico Minerva. Be sure to allow some time for explorations on the peripheries of town too, where Quiche and Mam tribal villages bake in the sun, and Quetzaltenango tour guides lead expeditions down, to the Pacific swells, or up, to the fuming heights of the Santa Maria Volcano.