Chichicastenango

One of the must-dos we heard about in Guatemala is the market in a town called Chichicastenango, or Chichi for short. It is the largest market containing Mayan wares in Guatemala and is held twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays. It is about a 2 hour ride from Panajachel, so we booked a van to take us there and back.

We find the rides through the countryside to be fascinating. The topography is beautiful, and it is so interesting just to look at the cars and people as we pass by.

Here is a cemetery.

We are still amazed at how much people can carry on their heads and backs.

I had heard that the textiles were just amazing and worth the trip, and I was not disappointed. The market was huge, stall after stall of textiles, pottery, flowers, wood carving, jewelry, produce, thread and fabric, and traditional clothing. It was overwhelming. Of course, the first stop was a food stall, with chicken and tortillas and beans.

Then we were ready to start tackling the market.

We loaded up on tablecloths and runners, but don’t worry, we left a few for everyone else. Although we did have to completely rearrange our closet to fit all the new stuff we bought.