Explore the Vibrant Culture of Chichicastenango: Guatemala’s Hidden Gem

Located in Guatemala‘s stunningly beautiful Western Highlands, the village of Chichicastenango has long served as the regional center of commerce for the K’iche’ Maya people. Every Thursday and Sunday, Chichicastenango hosts a colorful market where travelers and people from surrounding villages can purchase fresh fruit, handmade ceremonial masks, incense, and colorful K’iche’ Maya fabrics made with weaving techniques that date back centuries. Chichicastenango is also home to a vibrant graveyard and a towering Catholic church where Christians and K’iche’ Maya people worship under the same roof.

Several tour companies offer bus tours of Chichicastenango. Visitors can depart from nearby towns such as Panajachel or Guatemala City to spend the day exploring Chichicastenango’s vibrant market, technicolor graveyard, and the Santo Tomás Church. Many tours offer samples of regional foods such as Guatemalan bananas. Visitors can also opt to hop aboard a colorful and affordable “chicken bus”—a common way for locals to travel from city to city. True to its name, if you are a passenger on the chicken bus, there is a good chance that you may be traveling alongside a pig, a chicken, or a sizable rooster.

Aside from the rainbow-colored Chichicastenango marketplace, where vendors speak K’iche’ Maya in lieu of Spanish and sell bright fabrics, fruits, and flowers, one of the grand highlights of Chichicastenango is visiting the colorful Chichicastenango Cemetery. The colors of each tomb have great significance to the local people. White implies purity, turquoise represents protection, and yellow channels the life-sustaining force of the sun. It is not uncommon to see Chichicastenango residents painting or cleaning the vibrant tombs.

The Santo Tomás Church is a Catholic church frequented by Catholic worshippers and observers of traditional K’iche’ Maya spiritual practices. K’iche’ Maya priests often burn ceremonial incense and leave offerings of flowers, corn, and drinks inside the church. Photography is prohibited inside the church, but the steps of Santo Tomás—which are lined with flower vendors on market days—are one of the most picturesque spots in all of Chichicastenango.

Those searching for accommodation in Chichicastenango can book a room at the lovely flower-lined Hotel Santo Tomás. Hotel Santo Tomás features a plant-filled courtyard, a swimming pool, and a jacuzzi. Visitors can relax in a comfortable room with a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.

If you’re searching for a mystical mountain town where you can experience the vitality of the K’iche’ Maya culture and the beauty of Guatemala’s Western Highlands, a trip to Chichicastenango is an absolute must.