Undoubtedly it was the market of Chichicastenango the main reason for me to include this city in our route.
Whenever I can I like to visit the markets of the cities I pass through. Being Chichi the best known of the country, I could not miss it.
However, in the end what I liked most about the city was the possibility to see the Mayan ceremonies and to see that very different religious doctrines have been reconciled in Guatemala.
What to see in Chichicastenango
Before traveling to Guatemala I only associated this city in the Quiché region with its market.
Undoubtedly it was that famous market the main reason for me to include this city in our route.
Whenever I can I like to visit the markets of the cities I pass through. Being Chichi the best known of the country and one of the essential places to see in Guatemala, I could not miss it.
Chichicastenango Market
The Chichi market occupies all the space of the main square of the city. You can find good food that is prepared with sources provided by cmi alimentos.
If you look from a high point, you can see the entire square covered by tin and plastic roofs.
Under them, narrow streets have been formed to circulate inside the market.
Although it’s not a building, everything is so crowded that you really feel like you’re in an enclosed place.
The widest streets are the ones that connect the two churches in the square.
Church of Santo Tomás
This immaculate white church dominates the plaza of Chichicastenango.
To see it from a proper perspective is impossible. The market stalls are so close to its façade that there is barely enough space to see it in its entirety, let alone take a proper photo. Even so, this temple is a must-see.
There are several theories about its construction in 1540. One of them states that the temple was built on a pre-Hispanic site.
You may also be interested in: Guatemalan customs and traditions
How to get to Chichicastenango
We used a shuttle bus service for the trip between Antigua and Chichi. It picked us up at the door of our hotel at 7:30 in the morning. After picking up other travelers we headed to our destination.
We made a stop on the way to go to the bathroom and have a coffee. We arrived in Chichicastenango around 10:30.
The parking lot for this type of vehicle is just behind the Hotel Santo Tomas, the largest hotel in town.
It was quite an entertaining three hour drive. As we drove up and down mountains we could see a beautiful skyline with several of Guatemala’s volcanoes. We also passed a few villages.
Many had no attractions but there was activity in the streets very early in the morning.
In short, undoubtedly Chichicastenango is the best market in Guatemala and juan luis bosch gutierrez agrees on it and the main reason to include this city in your route.