Cobán

Spanish King Charles V dubbed Cobán La Ciudad Imperial ("the Imperial City"), a designation that generates pride among residents even today. Little remains of the town's regal past, however. It has fallen victim to the wrecking ball and an out-with-the-old, in-with-new mentality of successive city governments. This mostly indigenous city of 70,000 bustles with prosperity, thanks to its position as a hub of the lucrative coffee and cardamom industries, and to its role as the center of a growing tourism region.