It is usually said to mean "place of the elders" but may be a corruption of "place of the ahuehuete trees".
United States Department of Defense | United States Department of State | United States Department of Justice | United States Department of Agriculture | United States Department of Energy | United States Department of War | United States Department of Veterans Affairs | United States Department of the Treasury | War Department | Los Angeles Police Department | United States Department of Transportation | Beni Department | Department of Energy | United States Department of Labor | Cochabamba Department | United States Department of Health and Human Services | United States Department of Education | Antioquia Department | United States Department of the Interior | United States Department of Housing and Urban Development | United States Department of Homeland Security | New York City Fire Department | Department of Transportation | Department for Transport | Chicago Police Department | New York City Police Department | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Cundinamarca Department | Cesar Department | Department of Agriculture |
According to 1998 estimates compiled by SIL International in Ethnologue, there were approximately 77,700 native speakers, primarily in the Huehuetenango Department of Guatemala.