Postcard from Guatemala City

Greetings! In January I took a trip to Guatemala in Central America. I wrote three blog posts on the first three stops in my itinerary as follows:

• Exploring Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Day Trip to Chichicastenango market
• Boat Trip on Lake Atitlan and Santiago village

Today I'm sharing my tour and photos in Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala and the largest city in Central America. Its official name is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (New Guatemala of the Assumption). The population of Guatemala City is about two million, however, with the addition of the neighbouring municipalities, the total increases to about four million.

Guatemala City is divided into twenty-two zones, which are numbered in a spiral fashion starting in downtown Guatemala City. I decided to book a half-day city tour to explore the various city zones. The tour included hotel pick-up and drop-off. There were eight people, including me, in the tour group, plus an English-speaking tour guide and a driver. Our shuttle van could accommodate twenty people so we had lots of room in the vehicle.

Our tour began with a visit to Plaza Berlin which offers a good view of Guatemala City and its surrounding mountains. From there, we made a few stops to see Iglesia Yurrita, a Catholic church known for its ornate Gothic features, and the Central Post Office which has the arch way similar to the Santa Catalina arch in Antigua.

View of Guatemala City from Plaza Berlin

Plaza Berlin, Guatemala City

Yurrita Church in Guatemala City

Main Post Office in Guatemala City

We continued on to Central Plaza, also known as Constitution Plaza, at the heart of Guatemala City. Here, we viewed the Cathedral, built between 1782 and 1815, and the National Palace, one of the most important Guatemalan architectural achievements of the last century. Formerly the seat of the government, it is now a museum and venue for government affairs.

Cathedral in Guatemala City

National Palace in Guatemala City

Constitution Plaza , Guatemala City

The tour also took us through the residential, the educational, and the business districts of the city to gain a full understanding of life in Guatemala City. We visited a gated residential district where many embassies and consulates are located. Photos are not allowed in this area. We also viewed at a distance zones that are deemed unsafe to visitors due to gang-related crimes, and passed by the Zoo.

The Zoo, Guatemala City

We walked through the city's Historic Centre, part of it is being converted to pedestrian-only area, and the Central Market where fresh produce and colourful handicrafts are visual treats.

Fruit in Central Market, Guatemala City

Fruit juice selection in my hotel

Guatemala City is a clean city as the municipal government has educated and encouraged its residents to keep the city clean. I was pleased with my decision to take the Guatemala City tour. It covered a lot of ground in three and a half hours. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and with a small group, the pace was relaxing. This is my last stop in Guatemala, before flying home from La Aurora International Airport (airport code GUA) the next day.

My trip to Guatemala, known as the Land of Eternal Spring, was amazing! I hope you've enjoyed visiting (or revisiting) Guatemala through my lens.

I'd love to hear your comments.

Boat Trip on Lake Atitlan and Santiago Village

Greetings! In January, I visited Guatemala in Central America. My itinerary took me to Antigua, Chichicastenango market, Lake Atitlan, Santiago Atitlan village, and Guatemala City.

I had a wonderful stay in Antigua, one of Guatemala's former capitals and a UNESCO World Heritage site. You might like to see my post on Antigua here. From Antigua, I booked a shuttle van service to visit the open-air market in Chichicastenango. You might like to see the colourful handicrafts and textiles that I posted here.

From Chichicastenango, I continued on and stayed overnight in Panajachel, the gateway to Lake Atitlan and the twelve indigenous villages around the lake. The next morning I woke up to a beautiful view of Lake Atitlan at sunrise.

I took a boat ride across Lake Atitlan to visit Santiago Atitlan village and had a fantastic time there. I interacted with a few local women, visited the village church and market, and explored the village on foot, before taking another boat ride back to Panajachel.

LAKE ATITLAN

Guarded by the volcanoes Atitlan, San Pedro, and Toliman, Lake Atitlan is a great combination of scenic beauty, peaceful atmosphere, and rich in Mayan culture. The Lake is Guatemala's national and international main attraction.

On the morning of my visit, the weather was sunny, with clear blue skies, and the wind was calm as I waited for my boat to arrive. Knowing that Lake Atitlan is the deepest lake in Central America, with its maximum depth at 340 meters (1,120 ft), I was pleased to see life vests handed out to the boat passengers. The boat that I was on could accommodate twelve passengers and three crew members. Fortunately, we had a smooth ride both ways and did not need to use our life vests.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

The boat is coming!

At first, the sound of water hitting the bottom of the boat seemed loud but I soon settled in the rhythms and enjoyed the spectacular scenery around us. The lake water glimmered in the bright sunlight. At a distance, I could see Fuego volcano actively spewed ash into the air every ten minutes or so.

Glimmering Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

View of active Fuego volcano from Lake Atitlan

As we got closer to our destination, I got a better look at the surrounding volcanoes and the local fishermen. It was very peaceful and beautiful. The boat ride lasted about twenty five minutes and we soon arrived at the dock of Santiago Atitlan village.

Volcanoes surrounding Lake Atitlan

A fisherman in Lake Atitlan

SANTIAGO ATITLAN VILLAGE

Santiago Atitlan (or shortened name Santiago) is one of the twelve lakeside Mayan villages around Lake Atitlan. The first inhabitants of the Lake settled here and it's where the Mayan villagers keep their traditions at its purest.

Upon landing, I followed the pier and walked slightly uphill to the main street of the village. There are small shops and local businesses lined up on both sides of the street. No matter where I looked, it was a visual treat. Fortunately, there was no tourist crowd so I took my time to walk and enjoy the village.

First view of Santiago Atitlan village

Boat by the pier, Santiago Atitlan village

Boat dock, Santiago Atitlan village

The main street in Santiago Atitlan village

Paintings at a local art gallery

SANTIAGO ATITLAN TRADITIONAL CLOTHING

Santiago Atitlan village is known as a boat building and arts and crafts center by Lake Atitlan. The village is also famed for its striking purple clothing.

I had read that if possible, visit Santiago Atitlan village on a Sunday to see literally every local woman wearing their best typical clothes as part of their traditions. Well, I was there on a Friday so when I saw two local women in a textile shop, I stopped to browse and spoke to them with my basic Spanish.

I learned that the older lady is 73 years old and was a mid-wife in the village. Both women wore colourful tops and long skirts with a fabric belt. Their tops showed embroidered birds and flowers. The fabric belt was a mix of Mayan red and purple, the colour of Santiago Atitlan village. The older lady gave me a shy smile and showed me how she created her head dress.

First, she let her long hair loose on one side. Then she wrapped the thick and very long red band around her hair. Next, she wrapped the band around her head several times until she reached the end of the band and tucked it neatly into the folds. It was an interesting process. The best part was she calmly sat down with her complete head dress and gave me a smile with pride. I thought she looked beautiful!

1. Let loose of the hair to one side

2. Wrap the band around the hair

3. Wrap the band around the head several times

4. Done! Here's the front

5. Here's the back

6. A beautiful smile with pride

The women in the village keep the Mayan culture alive by wearing their traditional clothing. I saw a few men wearing traditional shorts or pants with embroidery, however, most village men were wearing khakis or jeans.

SANTIAGO ATITLAN CHURCH and MARKET

Santiago Atitlan village is known for its worship of Maximon, a Saint created by Mayan priests back in the days. I visited the local church but did not take any picture inside.

The village market was busy and lively with many local villagers when I arrived. Once again, the colourful handicrafts were eye-catching. The vegetables and fruit were fresh and abundant.

Santiago Atitlan village market

Making corn tortillas

Woven baskets at Santiago Atitlan market

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

There are many buses and tuk tuks in Guatemala. All the buses are painted in bright colours. One of the well-known local bus lines is Esmeralda. The public bus tickets are charged by kilometers and gas price! The tuk-tuks are usually red.

An Esmeralda bus in Santiago Atitlan village

A tuk-tuk in Santiago Atitlan village

SANTIAGO ATITLAN BOAT DOCK

A boat ride is a wonderful way to enjoy the scenery by Lake Atitlan and the surrounding villages. Once you arrive at any of the twelve villages, it's straightforward to walk from the dock to the village main street as I had done in Santiago Atitlan.

Santiago Atitlan boat dock

Boats by Santiago Atitlan village

All in all, I had a perfect day by Lake Atitlan and a wonderful visit to Santiago Atitlan village. The vibrant colours and what I experienced there will stay with me for a long time. My next and final stop is Guatemala City, before flying home.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments.

Day Trip to Chichicastenango

Greetings! In January, I visited Guatemala in Central America. My itinerary took me to Antigua, Chichicastenango market, Lake Atitlan, Santiago village, and Guatemala City.

I had a wonderful stay in Antigua, one of Guatemala's former capitals and a UNESCO World Heritage site. You might like to see my post on Antigua here. From Antigua, I booked a shuttle van service to visit the most fascinating and colourful open-air market in the country, located in Chichicastenango. 

The driving distance from Antigua to Chichicastenango is 93 km (58 miles). The drive took about two hours along winding mountain roads, with lush green scenery showing coffee plantations and farmland. The coffee harvest time runs from November to January. I saw fields of melons, carrots, and fruit stands selling a wide variety of fruit along the way.

The market in Chichicastenango is on Thursdays and Sundays, with hundreds of vendors from the surrounding countryside gather here to sell handicrafts, textiles, candles, food, livestock, flowers, and pottery. Visitors come here for the vibrant colours and unique items.

HANDICRAFTS:

Popular items include hand-made baskets and Guatemala's worry dolls. The story of the worry doll is a local Mayan legend. The origin of the Muñeca quitapena refers to a Mayan princess named Ixmucane. The princess received a special gift from the sun god that allowed her to solve any problem a human could worry about. The worry doll represents the princess and her wisdom.

According to legend, Guatemalan children tell their worries to the Worry Dolls, placing them under their pillow when they go to bed at night. By morning the dolls have gifted them with the wisdom and knowledge to eliminate their worries.

Hand-woven baskets, Chichicastenango

Hand-made worry dolls and soft toys

TEXTILES:

Colourful table runners, napkins, clothing, and hammocks are common at the market. Each of the embroidered designs for women's tops identifies the village origin.

Mayan textiles

Table runners

Napkins

Hammocks

FOOD: 

Thanks to the rich volcano soil, Guatemala produces a wide variety of vegetables and fruit for their own consumption and for exports to other countries such as Canada. The carrots and avocados are huge and inexpensive. You can get six or seven big avocados for US$1 at the market.

Fruit vendor and buyers

Vegetable and fruit section at the market

Making corn tortillas

POTTERY:

Nativity scenes made of clay as well as clay pots and plates are popular.

Clay pottery, Guatemala

Clay pottery, Guatemala

WOODEN MASKS & FIGURES:

Wooden masks of human and animal faces are sold everywhere. Jaguar is an important animal element in Guatemala's culture. In Mayan mythology, the jaguar was seen as the ruler of the Underworld, and as such, a symbol of the night sun and darkness.

Wooden jaguars

Wood animal masks

Wood face masks

Due to the size of the market, it can be overwhelming at first. Take time to browse and be prepared to haggle. If you find it overwhelming, take a break at one of the coffee shops that has upper floors or walk up the steps of Church of St. Thomas to get a good view of the market and to observe the interactions. By early afternoon, the market quiets down quite a bit, making it easier to shop and get a bargain as vendors want to carry less stuff home.

Open air market in Chichicastenango

Open air market in Chichicastenango

CHURCH OF ST. THOMAS:

After browsing at the market, I headed to the Church of Saint Thomas (Iglesia de Santo Tomas). This historic church built in 1540 often plays host to Mayan rituals. Right on the steps of the church, captivating religious ceremonies take place with flowers and burning incense.

Church of St Thomas, Chichicastenango

CEMETERY:

From the steps of the Church of Saint Thomas, to the left, walk downhill to the town cemetery. It's the most colourful cemetery that I've seen in my travels.

Cemetery in Chichicastenango

OVERNIGHT IN PANAJACHEL:

Leaving Chichicastenango, I continued my shuttle van service to Panajachel, a small hamlet on the shores of beautiful Lake Atitlan. This cozy town is known as a central hub for travelers as they make their way to the picturesque villages that dot the lake shore. If you click to enlarge the photo below, you can see a few boats crossing Lake Atitlan, and the white pier.

View of Panajachel

My hotel room in Panajachel has a wonderful view of Lake Atitlan and the three surrounding volcanoes (San Pedro, Atitlan and Toliman volcanoes). The natural beauty of the area is simply breathtaking.

Lake Atitlan at sunset

My adventure in Guatemala has been fabulous so far. I look forward to viewing Lake Atitlan at sunrise and exploring one of the villages the next day.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your comments.