Playa Grande ("Big beach") is the administrative centre of the municipality of Ixcán in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché.

Native Mayan languages spoken in the area include, among many others, Uspantek and Q'eqchi', although Spanish is also common.

The Xalalá hydroelectric dam is a proposed development project in Ixcán.

It is controversial because it will flood 31.8 km2 and displace twelve Q'eqchi' Maya communities.

The dam is opposed by the Organizational Commission of the Community Consultation of Good Faith, Ixcán, which wants the Instituto Nacional de Electrificación (INDE) to complete consultations with local indigenous groups pursuant to the International Labour Organization Convention No.