Guatemalan Markets Tour

Today we will head out to the Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala’s former second capital, buried by an earthquake-triggered mudslide in 1541. Along the way, we can stop off at an interesting experimental macadamia farm in the village of San Antonio Aguas Calientes. The Santiago Zamora cooperative is a women´s association focussed on sharing their local daily activities at home. The presentation begins with a demonstration of the local textiles and you will learn how to form the threads using the back-strap loom. In the afternoon, we will see the women’s textile cooperative for hand weaving and the textiles' natural dye processing. We will be able to enjoy an interactive experience with traditional dance and local music with the women and enjoy a nice local dish called “pepian” made of local spices with pork, beef or chicken.

In the morning, we will head for a tour of the city's ruins, churches, and museums. The stories and legends of colonial times are still part of everyday culture and we will visit: La Merced Church, Convent Las Capuchinas, Saint Joseph Cathedral, Central Park, the local craft market & Chocolate Museum. In the afternoon, we will continue to Chichicastenango where we will spend the evening.

After breakfast, we will explore Chichicastenango, where the Mayan and Catholic traditions come together in glorious and colourful fashion! The scent of incense and the people's mysticism offers a unique atmosphere found only in Guatemala. The combinations of tastes, smells and colours combine uniquely here and we will head for a traditional lunch with a local Mayan family for the full, cultural experience. In the evening, we will head to Quetzaltenango to spend the night in this small village.

Early in the morning, we will visit Almolonga market, one of the best vegetable market in Central America. Here you can appreciate the colours and unique aromas of the market and watch the people in their day to day lives, shopping and walking around with their children on their backs in a brightly coloured tapestry! We will then head to San Francisco el Alto to see the largest indigenous market in Central America. This authentic market doesn’t receive many tourists and concentrates on selling food, vegetables, tools, weavings, and live animals. We will also visit the colourful church of San Andres Xecul and Zunil, set in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains and famous for the San Simon, the patron saint. We will then head to Huehuetenango, where we will spend the evening.

After breakfast, we will visit Todos Santos' market in Huehuetenango, located in the Sierra de Los Cuchumatanes. The people of Todos Santos belongs to the Mam ethnic group who created a small kingdom in the Pre-Hispanic period. Saturday is market day and the local people exchange different products such as weavings, costumes, pottery, wool backpacks, furniture, poultry and traditional crops. People come from all the surrounding mountain communities to exchange products, offering an incredible insight into local life. We will then proceed to Acul for the evening.

Today, we will visit the quaint town of Chajul. The town’s church of San Gaspar Los Reyes is one of one of Guatemala’s most beautiful with finely carved wooden doors. Inside, there is an impressive gold-leaf altar. We will then continue on to San Juan Cotzal, a town famous for its impressive traditional weaving.  We will visit The Iglesia San Juan and its picturesque plaza, where the statue of Jesus is holding an Israeli flag. We will then head back to the hotel in Acul for the evening.

Today is a travel day and after breakfast, we will head to Lake Atitlan and the small town of Panajachel on the shores of the lake.

Today, we will take a boat ride across Lake Atitlan towards San Juan La Laguna, where we will see the women’s textile cooperative for hand weaving and natural dye processing of the textiles. We will also visit the homes of the famous naïf painters before we continue to Santiago Village to see the famous Maya deity, Maximon and learn about the textiles, spiritualism and beliefs of the Tz'utujil Maya. Each year a different family houses the saint of the town, taking care of their cigarette, smoking God. We will then head back to Panajachel for the evening.

We will head out today to visit Santa Catarina Palopo. We will head to San Antonio Palopo, known for its traditional pottery workshops, where we can learn more about the process of pottery making, from the preparation, moulding and baking.  We will then take the scenic road on foot back to Panajachel via the Calle Santander for some last-minute souvenir shopping! We will then head back to Guatemala City for our final evening in the capital.

Today is our final day in Guatemala. Our driver will take you to the international airport in time for your flight back home or onto your next exciting destination!