Cultures, Crafts & Markets of Guatemala

from £2165


'Cultures, Crafts & Markets of Guatemala'

What makes this trip special?

Ixchel Museum

Ixchel Museum

A treasury of Maya textiles

Ixchel is the Maya goddess of the moon and weaving. Her museum in Guatemala City is the finest introduction to her country's living textile traditions. Room after room display the huipiles, cortes and ceremonial dress of the highland communities, each village with its own patterns and colours.

Lake Atitlan

Lake Atitlan

The most beautiful lake in the world

Ringed by three volcanoes and cradled in the western highlands, Atitlán fills a vast collapsed caldera with astonishingly blue water. Aldous Huxley famously thought it "too much of a good thing"; most visitors simply fall for it. Days here are spent out on the water, wandering the lakeside villages, or doing very little at all before one of Central America's finest views.

Atitlan Lake Villages

Atitlan Lake Villages

Maya life around the shore

Scattered around the lake, each reached most easily by boat, are traditional villages with their own dress, dialect and crafts. In Santiago Atitlán the Tz'utujil Maya keep age-old customs alive, including devotion to the folk saint Maximón, while San Juan la Laguna is known for its weavers' co-operatives and natural dyes. A window onto highland Maya life.

Chichicastenango

Chichicastenango

Where the people of the highlands come together

Twice a week the highland town of "Chichi" fills with one of the largest and most colourful markets in the Americas. K'iche' Maya traders come down from the surrounding hills to sell textiles, masks, pottery and flowers, while copal incense drifts from the steps of the whitewashed church of Santo Tomás, where Maya and Catholic ritual meet. A feast for the senses.

San Francisco El Alto

San Francisco El Alto

Guatemala's greatest trading day

High above the plains of the western highlands, the town of San Francisco El Alto hosts what many call the largest indigenous market in the country. Every Friday its streets and plaza overflow with textiles, cloth and everyday goods, while up on the hill the famous animal market trades pigs, sheep and poultry. Climb to the church roof for a grand view over it all.

Antigua

Antigua

The heart of Guatemala's identity

Guatemala's old colonial capital, and still its soul. Cobbled streets of low pastel houses run between baroque churches and the romantic ruins of others, all beneath the perfect cone of Agua and the smoking summit of Fuego. A UNESCO World Heritage jewel, shaken by earthquakes down the centuries and rebuilt time and again — today an unhurried town of courtyard cafés, craft shops, fine restaurants and some of the best coffee in the Americas.

Itinerary map for Guatemala 'Cultures, Crafts & Markets of Guatemala' holiday

Itinerary

  • Day      Overnight
  • 1 Guatemala City
  • 2 Guatemala City
  • 3 Lake Atitlan
  • 4 Lake Atitlan
  • 5 Quetzaltenango
  • 6 Quetzaltenango
  • 7 Antigua
  • 8 Guatemala City
  • For the detail of each day click the ‘Day-by-day’ tab above.

Day-by-day itinerary for 'Cultures, Crafts & Markets of Guatemala'

DAY 1

Arrive in Guatemala City

You are met on arrival in Guatemala City and transferred to a hotel in Zona 10, the city's shopping/entertainment district where you stay for the next 2 nights

DAY 2
B

Ixchel Museum

Today enjoy a visit to the wonderful Ixchel Museum and its vaults, dedicated to indigenous textiles and clothing and preservance of Maya heritage

DAY 3
B

visit Solola market, to Lake Atitlan

This morning you will be privately transferred towards Lake Atitlan, nestled within Guatemala's dramatic western highlands, heartland of the country's Maya population. Here the bustling Panamerican highway which traverses the Americas cuts through vast expanses of striking mountainous landscapes dotted with Maya towns and villages and covered in a patchwork quilt of forest and agricultural land - the rich volcanic soils producing an abundance of crops including pineapples, coffee, cabbages, carrots and at higher elevations maize and potatoes. Just before arrival at Lake Atitlan stop off in the village of Solola to visit its colourful, authentic Tuesday indigenous market. Here local men wear distinctive ‘space cowboy’ traditional dress – colourful woven trousers, apron, jacket and cowboy hats. Lake Atitlan (which means “at the water” in nahuatl), one of the most picturesque destinations in all Guatemala. Created over 80,000 years ago by a violent volcanic eruption, the lake is recognised at the deepest lake in Central America. It is surrounded by three impressive volcanoes on its southern shores (Atitlan at 3,535m, San Pedro at 3,020m and Toliman at 3,158m) and small Mayan villages backed by steep verdant hillsides. The majority of villages here are Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel and traditional Maya culture still prevails in most parts - local residents wear vibrant traditional clothing, practice ancient Maya customs and gather at colourful weekly markets to sell their produce. Here you stay for 2 nights at a hotel located in a small lakeside village.

DAY 4
BL

Atitlan lake villages

Today you will be taken on a boat excursion around the lake, visiting two of Atitlan's most interesting lakeside communities. San Juan La Laguna, an authentic, artistic local village where the population is almost exclusively Tz’utujil Maya. Here traditions of farming and fishing stand alongside production of reed mats, textiles, handicrafts, naïf painting, medicinal plants and leather goods – naturally dyed textiles are a particularly famous product from this village. Pastel coloured adobe houses, small shops and cooperatives line the paved clean streets, many of which are covered in colourful painted murals. Modernity and tradition side side - men dressed in jeans, shirts and cowboy hats walk by women riding motorbikes dressed in traditional huipiles. Visit some of the villages cooperatives such as “Asociacion de Mujeres de Colores Botanicos” where local ladies use plants, fruits, herbs, seeds and even coconut shells to produce dyes to colour wool and cotton and a local medicinal plant garden where you learn about the various used of herbs and flowers in local medicine. Almost all profits from these cooperatives go directly back to the women involved. Santiago Atitlan, the biggest and most important lakeside village in Atitlan, is a commercial and traditional town where the majority of residents are also Tz’utujil May. Many of the local ‘atitecos’ as they are known wearing indigenous dress, including the men who wear white and purple striped shorts adorned with colourful embroidered birds and flowers, cowboy hats and textile belts. A daily market (largest on Friday) fills the streets and is very much for the locals, as you start to walk towards the dock it is more geared to tourists with shops and stalls filled with souvenirs, trinkets etc. Santiago is home to Maximon, the Maya folk 'sinner' saint venerated by local Maya predominantly in western highlands. A mixture of Catholic saint and Mayan deity (although not endorsed by Catholic church) said to be ‘the saint of gamblers and drunks’. He is represented as an almost life-size effigy with a moustache, wide-brimmed hat and is often smoking a lit cigarette out if the corner of his mouth. He is passed between different members of the ‘cofradia’ or brotherhood each year, residing in a dedicated shrine-type room within their houses. Worshippers bring money, alcohol and tobacco goods to the shrine as an offering to Maximon, who they hope in return will bring them wealth, rain and fertility etc.

DAY 5
B

visit Chichicastenango market, to Quetzaltenango

This morning you will be taken to visit Guatemala's iconic, Chichicastenango or “Chichi” (as it is known to locals) indigenous market. This small town comes alive on its Thursday and Sunday market days, its streets a riot of colour and hustle and bustle, filled with stalls selling a variety of Guatemalan handicrafts from woven goods, trinkets made of colourful beads, wooden icons and masks, colourful local ‘huipiles’ (traditional dress worn by local women) to modern clothing, rugs, bags, scarfs as well as stalls selling meat, fish, flowers and medicinal herbs, puppies, ducks and turkeys! There is a large fruit and veg market in a covered hall in the middle of town, there is balcony pn the upper-level of the hall from here you can watch locals as they go about buying pineapples, tomatoes, cabbages, carrots etc. – noticeable is the size of the produce at the market, everything is huge! The Church of Santo Tomas is located in the heart of the market area, a 500 year old church built by Dominican priests on top of a Maya worship site. It is attended by locals who practice a unique blend of Maya and Catholic religions. The air just outside the church is thick with burning copal incense as worshippers perform their rituals at its entrance. There are 18 steps leading up to the church, (each of which represents a month in the Maya calendar) covered with local vendors selling flowers (hydrangeas, gladioli, roses) which are used as offerings. You can enter the church through the side door but no photos are allowed. It’s a fascinating scene inside – worshippers shuffling along the aisles on their knees in penance towards the altar, ‘spiritual’ men clad in red headscarf’s sitting cross legged in the aisles around makeshift shrines (e.g vegetables surrounded by candles to pray for crops). Popol Vuh, the ancient Maya sacred text, a manuscript of Maya creation was discovered in the convent here. Dominican friar Francisco Ximenez transcribed and translated the manuscript into Spanish in the 18th century. Time allowing visit Chichicastenango cemetery on the outskirts of town, a very photogenic spot filled with brightly painted crypts and gravestones and good views over the town and surrounding countryside. You will then be transferred further west to Quetzaltenango or 'Xela' (approx 2hrs), with its striking ‘belle-epoque’ neo-classical style of architecture, Guatemala’s second largest city and hub of the western highlands at an altitude of 2,330m. The name Xela means ‘under the ten peaks’ (referring to the surrounding volcanoes/mountains). Here you stay for 2 nights at a city centre hotel

DAY 6
B

San Francisco El Alto market & surroundings

This morning you will be taken to explore the town of San Francisco El Alto's Friday indigenous market, the largest and most authentic market in Guatemala. Set high on a hilltop at 2,630m, the market consumes the towns lanes and squares, jam packed with goods and people. The lower part of the market is predominantly textiles and food products - a mixture of brightly coloured modern and traditional textiles, ‘ropa americana’, shoes, wooly jumpers, stacks of corn, bananas (yellow and red!), oranges, limes, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, avocadoes, tomatoes, broccoli, chillies, dried fish, potatoes, spring onions, tripe, cut chicken, prawns, cakes, toys, tools, linen, baskets, pans. Small stalls selling tamales (chuchitos de masa), tortillas, fried chicken and papas (chips), chicharron stands. At top of market in a football-pitch area there is an animal market selling puppies, kittens, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, terrapins, turkeys, ducks. The church is the middle of the market is a sanctuary of calm – walk through to the courtyard where local Maya sit on benches to the church office (opens at 09.00) and pay Q5 to go up onto the church roof for fabulous views over the market and surrounding countryside. N.B quite a steep spiral staircase to reach roof! Continue on to explore Quetzaltenango's surrounding villages of Almolonga, a “market garden” of fertile land swathed in a patchwork quilt of agriculture, where locals work the lush green fields cultivating cabbages, carrots, radishes, cauliflowers and Zunil, where local ladies wear geometric print huipiles and striking textile headdresses.

DAY 7
B

to Antigua Guatemala

This morning you will be transferred to Antigua Guatemala (approx 3hrs), the beautiful historical and cultural capital of Guatemala where you stay for the night at a characterfully restored hotel in the heart of the city. Antigua is one of the most impressive colonial cities in all of the Americas - a UNESCO world heritage site due to its well preserved Spanish Baroque architecture. Today much of Antigua's colonial splendour is still visible in its plentiful and well-preserved churches, monastries, convents and ruins. It is an atmospheric place - encircled by three mighty volcanoes (Agua, Acatenango and Fuego), its picturesque cobbled streets are flanked by colourful low-rise colonial buildings - some of which are now hotels, cafes and galleries, their terracotta roofs brimming with bougainvillea and heliconia. Local Maya ladies sell vibrantly trinkets and textiles alongside tropical fruits such as papaya, mangos and limes. Church bells chime and the scent of wood-smoke and incense hang in the air. Rest of the day free to wander and enjoy Antigua at your leisure or we cane book a guided tour for you if you prefer. We would recommend visiting Nim P'ot, a huge warehouse-like store just up from Santa Catalina arch selling huge array of regional textiles, jewellery, knick-knacks and masks, a great spot for picking up gifts.

DAY 8
B

Depart Guatemala

Today you will be transferred to Guatemala City airport in time to catch your international onwards flight

Guide prices for 'Cultures, Crafts & Markets of Guatemala'

options based on all year low season mid season high season peak season other season
Guide price 2 people sharing £2,165
Guide price 2 people sharing £2,335
Prices are per person and include:
  • all travel in Guatemala
  • all accommodation
  • meals as indicated (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
Prices do not include:
  • international flights
  • travel insurance
  • airport and departure taxes if these are not included in the flight ticket
  • items of a personal nature such as drinks, tips, laundry, etc
  • any optional excursions you may buy locally

Customer reviews for 'Cultures, Crafts & Markets of Guatemala'

Recent reviews are shown here from holidays based on this initial design. In each case the itinerary may have been modified (a little or a lot) to suit the individual traveller.

Average

Seasonal information for 'Cultures, Crafts & Markets of Guatemala'

Along this route in January

Day Location Max °C Monthly rainfall
1 Guatemala City 23°C rainfall 2mm
2 Guatemala City 23°C rainfall 2mm
3 Lake Atitlan 25°C rainfall 4mm
4 Lake Atitlan 25°C rainfall 4mm
5 Quetzaltenango 17°C rainfall 5mm
6 Quetzaltenango 17°C rainfall 5mm
7 Antigua 21°C rainfall 4mm
8 Guatemala City 23°C rainfall 2mm

Typical weather for January

rainchart

Max °C figures are the average daily maximum temperatures for the month. Rainfall is the average precipitation for the month.

Hotels for 'Cultures, Crafts & Markets of Guatemala'

Days 1 - 2

La Inmaculada

Zona 10

La Inmaculada
Days 3 - 4

Hotel Bambu

Santiago

Hotel Bambu
Days 5 - 6

Pension Bonifaz

Pension Bonifaz
Days 7 - 8

Meson de Maria

Meson de Maria