Chichicastenango

Some people say you should try to visit the huge market at Chichicastenango. So I did. While I was underwhelmed with the market, there were some unexpected highlights.

I arrived around 10:30am and the market was already packed. I sat down to grab some brunch after an older British couple who were just finishing their meal recommended the place. The food was alright, but the most interesting part of brunch was when the British couple returned less than 5 minutes after leaving to look for the woman's wallet. It wasn't in the restaurant, so apparently it was stolen from her person in less than 5 minutes after leaving the place. Quite a bummer. Here's a view of the market from the cafe.

After brunch I walked around the market a bit, overpayed (most likely) for a hat because the sun was brutal and the hat fit (hats here are frequently a little on the smaller side), and then made my way to a Mayan sacred stone on a pine-covered hill next to town. On my way up the hill, I noticed all of the undergrowth was burned away. The reason therefore became clear once I reached the top and saw that their rituals there involve setting lots of fires. The monument has been vandalized a lot, rendering it almost impossible to discern any form or significance in it. A little disappointing.

On the walk back down the hill there is a shop where they manufacture wood masks. It seems to be Guatemala's version of Venice. Very nice masks.

On the walk back to town I ran across a very cool institute that teaches kids and young adults about art. This place was really cool and the guys running it were very nice. Here is the website if you want to learn more and here are some pics.

I spent the rest of the day checking out the market and waiting for my bus. In my opinion, it's not worth going much at all out of your way to visit Chichicastenango. Some people say that there are local artisans who go there to sell their wares. Unfortunately, I only ran into one or two people who might have made the items they were selling. So you don't have that connection to the people who are actually fabricating what you're buying. Maybe once upon a time this market was culturally significant, but I think those days have passed. Hopefully the art institution I stumbled across will keep growing and maybe bring a more diverse art scene to Chichicastenango. I'd be happy to return to see something like that.

Location:Chichicastenango, Guatemala