It would be a colorful shopping extravaganza.
Chichicastenango is a mountain town lying roughly 2 1/2 hours northwest of Guatemala City. The city streets are transformed every Thursday and Sunday as the K’iche’ Maya from surrounding areas, as well as others from all over Guatemala, set-up shop to sell their traditional handicrafts, foods, and even livestock. Vendors will arrive the night before to construct their stalls, and begin to arrange their products in the wee hours of the morning.
Chichi Market in Chichicastenango
We woke up early Sunday morning in order to attempt to beat the crowds, before the buses from Guatemala arrived. In the early afternoon the hordes of people can be hard to squeeze through. We started at one end of the several block market and worked our way down.
The first section was apparently the poultry department; dozens of vendors had there chickens, turkeys and ducks in baskets trying to convince folks that their product was a better buy.
A couple ladies were even selling tiny kittens for pets.
It appeared that this area was not meant for foreign travelers, but rather the many “tourists” that were actually Guatemalans who traveled from Guatemala City or surrounding neighborhoods within the country.
We strolled up and down the side streets of Chichi market perusing the items for sale which included, handmade pottery, wooden masks, medicinal herbs and multi-colored tapestries. Many of the pieces were of the highest quality workmanship, while others were manufactured in the many factories in and around Chichicastenango.
Either way, you are bound to find a souvenir.
We carried on through the central place to the steps of the 400 year old Iglesia de Santo Tomás church, which on this Sunday was covered in flower vendors. They shared these steps with the stray dogs who made themselves comfortable amongst the bouquets. Many of the flowers bought here today would be taken to the nearby cemetery to pay respects to the deceased.
We entered the church through the side door, as the front doors are reserved for locals and church officials. Inside we caught a baptism in progress, a dozen little ones all dressed in white waiting to get blessed.
At the bottom of the churches 18 steps, they were selling fresh fruits and vegetables; plump blackberries and perfect wild mushrooms.
Photogenic and mouth watering.
While hiking the Pacaya volcano just the day before, I fell in love with a local delicacy sold by a trail vendor. The orange con pepita (oranges with crushed pumpkin seed) was delicious and I knew that my souvenir from Chichi market was going to be some crushed pepitas because the taste of them could not possibly be duplicated in America. With the help of our guide and the two security guards who followed us around the market, I found a vendor who sold what I was looking for.
I bought 1/4 pound for 10 Quetzal ($1.30 USD). An edible souvenir.
After leaving Chichi market, before the crowds has arrived, I wished I was going to be in Chichicastenango for another week so I could do it all over again.
Address: btw 7a & 8a Calle, Chichicastenango, Guatemala | MAP
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My trip to Guatemala was hosted by Visit Guatemala, but all opinions are my own.
Hi, it’s my first time here, i was looking for best travel blog to learn how better we travel and found some advices and i feel i m on the right place
So out first visit to Asia will be to Phuket, that we hear is the place to be for scuba diving holidays
We think that you can tell us more to make our trip succesfull
Phuket is an incredible place for your first trip to Asia! Make sure to take a trip to James Bond Island!
There atr so much to look at in Guatemala! I’m glad to visit this country. At first vivaster helped me to find interesting things to do, and then I used only intuition and fount some nice places to eat and to rest,
It sounds perfect to have someone show you around the country and then break off on your own for some extra exploring. I hope you loved the food as much as I did!
Great blog post about traveling to Guatemala, very inspiring!
Now I’m sure all of us who read this nice article will definitely think about making a trip there!
Thank you for sharing, keep up the great work!
Thanks for reading! Guatemala was definitely an unexpected surprise, in the BEST way!
I would highly recommend traveling to Guatemala. I absolutely loved visiting the markets and the natural beauty of Guatemala can not be beat. I also agree that the naranjas con pepita can not be beat! I traveled with mayangateway.com and I loved my experience with the company and the country.
Happy to hear that you share my love of naranjas con pepita!! Guatemala is definitely something special.