Chichicastenango Market and Lake Atitlan 2 days and 1 night
- Live Guide
- Instant Confirmation
- Pickup Service
- E-Ticket
- 36 hr
When you arrive at the Chichicastenango market you will start the walking tour. This is located in the center of the town and is the heart of the commercial life of the Maxeños, the natives of Chichicastenango. Every Thursday and Sunday, merchants head to the central square to sell their products in this impressive indigenous market that has changed very little over the centuries. Explore the narrow streets and admire the products and crafts offered by the locals. In Chichicastenango you will also visit the church of Santo Tomás, built in 1540 on the basis of a pre-Hispanic temple. This is a magnificent example of colonial architecture and the Mayan and Latin influence is evident inside and outside the building.
Itinerary Details
Operated by: GTM Tour Guide Travel Services Guatemala
Stop At: Chichicastenango
Saint Thomas Chichicastenango: "Santo Tomás": in honor of his patron saint Tomás Apóstol; "Chichistenango": from Nahuatl, means «wall of nettles» It is a municipality in the department of Quiché (Guatemala). It is located south of the department and is a renowned tourist center for its local market. It is located 18 km from the departmental capital and 145 km from Guatemala City. The majority of the population is indigenous to the Quiché ethnic group. During the colonial era it was a doctrine of the Dominican friars and after the Independence of Central America was part of the department of Sololá. In 1838, it became part of the ephemeral State of Los Altos until it was reinstated to the State of Guatemala by the general Conservative Rafael Carrera in 1840. After the Liberal Reform of 1871, on August 12, 1872, the de facto government of the provisional president Miguel García Granados created the department of Quiché, to which Chichicastenango has belonged since then.
Duration: 4 hour
Stop At: Lake Atitlan
Atitlán means "between the waters". In the Nahuatl language, "atl" is the word for water, and "titlan" means between. The "tl" at the end of the word "atl" is dropped (because it is a grammatical suffix) and the words are combined to form “Atitlán”.
Duration: 5 minutes
