Huehuetenango is a department of Guatemala. INE’s 2018 census counted 1,170,669 people in the department, up from 846,544 in the 2002 census; that is a census count, and population projections for later years differ from it (2026 figures). The census names Alta Verapaz (18.2%), Quiché (13.6%) and Huehuetenango (12.3%) as the departments where the country’s Maya population is mainly concentrated. The department capital is the city of Huehuetenango, whose municipality counted 117,818 people in 2018.
Is Huehuetenango safe to visit?
The U.S. Department of State’s advisory issued March 12, 2026 states: “Do Not Travel to Huehuetenango Department due to risk of crime and terrorism.” The UK Foreign Office separately advises against all but essential travel to Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia in Huehuetenango (both read 25 October 2026).
Diálogos’ June 2026 report records 1 homicide in the department that month. Its year-to-date total was 10: 2 women and 8 men. The rolling interannual rate for both sexes was 1.8 homicides per hundred thousand inhabitants (read 25 October 2026). The monthly count, year-to-date count and rolling rate describe different periods.
What to Expect
The Ministry of Culture’s SiCultura listing describes Zaculeu as an important archaeological site of Mam origin in the municipality of Huehuetenango, west of the departmental capital, at 1,940 metres, reached by a paved road. It lists entry at Q50 for foreigners and Q5 for Guatemalans, with students of public institutions free with prior authorization from the Dirección General de Patrimonio Cultural y Natural (read 10 October 2026).
Todos Santos Cuchumatán, in the Cuchumatanes region, holds its fiesta patronal for the Día de Todos los Santos from 31 October to 2 November, with 1 November as the main day (SiCultura). On 1 November the municipality stages its horse race, the Carrera de Cintas: in the municipality’s own description, the riders cover the streets and the track that leads to the cemetery in traditional dress, with hats decorated with feathers and ribbons, after ceremonies that ask permission of the saints and the earth.
Eight of the 23 municipios on our live frost alerts table are in Huehuetenango, Todos Santos Cuchumatán and Chiantla among them; it checks tonight’s forecast low against the 5 degrees Celsius line MAGA uses to put a municipio on its agricultural frost watch.
The cost, safety and internet figures in the Key Stats section are our own map data, not official or sourced figures; earlier versions of this text repeated them ($287 and $450 a month, 8/10 safety, 30/100 internet) and also gave an elevation, mountain heights, travel times and coffee scores that had no published source. For the homicide data we can source, the Diálogos observatory’s June 2026 report recorded 1 homicide of a man and none of women in Huehuetenango that month, with interannual rates of 3.0 per 100,000 men and 0.7 per 100,000 women. For detailed cost comparisons across Guatemala, see our cost of living guide. Check the latest exchange rates and gas prices for budgeting.
The attraction and festival cards and the highlights shown elsewhere on this page come from our own map data. For more information about staying safe while exploring, visit our safety guide.
Laguna Magdalena, Huehuetenango, November 2018. Photo: Estuardo Enriquez.
Nearby Departments
Western Highlands: Quetzaltenango | Quiche | San Marcos | Totonicapan
Explore More Data
- Activities & Things to Do – Explore activities and tours
- Exchange Rates – Today’s exchange rate
- Cost of Living – Compare living costs
- Remittances – Best remittance rates
- Gas Prices – Fuel prices by department
- Canasta Basica – Basic food basket costs
- Weather – Climate and weather data
Sources
U.S. Department of State Guatemala travel advisory, read 25 October 2026.
UK Foreign Office Guatemala regional risks, read 25 October 2026.
Diálogos June 2026 homicide report, read 25 October 2026.
INE, Resultados del XII Censo Nacional de Población y VII de Vivienda 2018 (population by department and municipality, censuses of 1994, 2002 and 2018; distribution of the Maya population by department).
SiCultura, Zaculeu, read 10 October 2026.
SiCultura, Fiesta Patronal de Todos Santos Cuchumatán, read 24 September 2026.
Municipalidad de Todos Santos Cuchumatán, Carrera de Caballo, read 24 September 2026.
Diálogos, Observatorio de la violencia, Informe sobre la violencia homicida en Guatemala, junio 2026.