Etymology and Location
The name Zaculeu means "white earth" in the Mam, K'iche' and Q'anjob'al languages, from saq (adj) meaning "white" and ulew (n) meaning "earth". In the Mam language the site also goes by the alternative name Chinabajul.
The archaeological site is located in the village of San Lorenzo on the outskirts of Huehuetenango city, in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango. Zaculeu is the main tourist attraction in the Huehuetenango area. Zaculeu sits at an altitude of 1,900 metres (6,200 ft) above mean sea level, and is overlooked by the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes mountain range.
Zaculeu is located in an area of fertile soils close to the Selegua and Viña Rivers. The site is situated on a plateau overlooking the Selegua River, which flows to the west of the city. Deep ravines border the site to the south and east, leaving the only access to the site via a narrow land bridge to the north which unites the plateau to the general level of the valley floor. The Zaculeu plateau measures 11,178 square varas (4191 square metres).
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