Chichicastenango
Is the home of one of the biggest colorful markets of Guatemala.From “The Encounters” or “Los Encuentros”, a pavement road takes you this beautiful place with lots of hotels and restaurants.
Chichicastenango or so called “Chichi” has a personality of its own. The whole place is ruled by two “systems”, the modern and the original one from the locals. This means, besides the normal religious and administrative infrastructure, they deal with their problems as they used to.
The church itself represented a problem on its own as the Spanish wanted to demolish any trace of their original beliefs; even so, the locals still practice their rituals. The church has a particular set of stairs that actually represents the old staircaise-altar.
Here the religious leaders practice the rituals and yes… the stairs are not a place to “walk”, is a part of the temple itself managed and respected by them. So, for you to enter, use the entrance located next to the main one.
The market at Chichicastenango
Is the main attraction. The day of market at Chichicastenango is on Sundays andThursdays and yes, it is an spectacle filled with people and handicrafts, masks and fabrics.
Pascual Abaj
Located on top of a hill nearby, this holy place is taken care of by the locals. They practice all sort of rituals coming from far away places in Guatemala. It is a very important center for their beliefs. There is no hour for the rituals but with luck you can find one when walking around. Always ask very kindly for permission and behave with respect. Remember to ask before taking any pictures.What to expect at Chichicastenango?
- Lots and lots of products, handicrafts, fruits, fabrics and the colorful environment of a town where times goes by very differently every day and especially on market days.
- Also, the finest taste on local food at their restaurants. As usual, the luxurious are exactly the best ones. Try always to taste something from every place. The cheaper offer a deep taste.
- Finding a hotel is as easy as taking a walk. YES. There is no need for you to accept the help of the “tourist helpers”. They seem to be everywhere and come out of nowhere if you have the look of a tourist. You won’t need them. They charge for their advice. Avoid them.
- Enjoy a museum filled with a rich variety of masks, handicrafts and colorful tiny objects worth seen.
- Yes, Chichicastenango and Quiche are filled with accommodations and services. There you will find ATMS, banks, stores of almost any kind, hotels, internet cafes, cameras, batteries, and so.
How to get to Chichicastenango
To visit Chichicastenango take the Panamericana CA1 Road heading to Quezaltenango-Solola. At the “Encuentros”, you will see a fork, take the road to Quiche and Chichicastenango. It is in great conditions. Actually you will reach Chichi first.From Chichicastenango you can reach Quiche, Uspantan and Nebaj. Buses come and go very often. The drive is about 3 hours and a half from Guatemala City.
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Home of the Maya-Quiche, Santa Cruz is the center of this department (Quiche). It's at only minutes from the famous Chichicastenango. It is a modern city with banks, hotels, restaurants and different accommodations. It holds the ruins of Gumarkaaj, a maya archaeological site.
Utatlan is a maya site with some remainings of a maya capital important city. It's about 15 minutes from the center of Quiche and it holds a small but beautiful museum. The place is still scenario of religious rituals today.
This beautiful lagoon is right aside the road from Chichicastenango to the center of Quiche. Just like a mirror of the sky, the blue waters reflect the landscape and the clouds. The lagoon is currently in danger because of the pollution but still holds great beauty and worth stopping by.