🧶 GUIDE 01 · THU & SUN MARKET DAY (CHI-09)
Chichicastenango (`CHICHIMARKET ⇄`) Illustrated Quick Guide
Q200 ($26) RT
Q150 ($20) 1-Way
Q150 ($20) 1-Way
Held every Thursday & Sunday in the K'iche' highlands (`1,965m`), Chichicastenango is Mesoamerica's largest open-air indigenous market. Keep your San Marcos hotel room — Maya Tulan's round-trip shuttle drops you at the plaza and brings you back the same afternoon.
🎨 Stained-Glass Market Crest
🖼️ Santo Tomás Retro Poster
🧣 K'iche' Brocade & Copal
🧭 ILLUSTRATED ROUTE & PLAZA SANTO TOMÁS 4-QUADRANT COMPASS
1,562m → 2,540m → 1,965m
① 07:00 AM · SAN MARCOS BOARDING
Board at Maya Tulan or La Cancha. Keep your hotel room in San Marcos — bring only a daypack.
② 09:15 AM · SANTO TOMÁS STEPS
Watch K'iche' cofradías swing copal incense on the 18 steps (one for each 20-day month of the Maya Haab' calendar).
③ 10:30 AM · TEXTILES & MASKS
Explore the huipil weavers' alleys, carved cedar masks, pottery, and the Colorful Cemetery (Cementerio General).
④ 02:00 PM · RETURN OR CONNECT
Board your return shuttle back to San Marcos (`~4:15 PM`), or transfer at Los Encuentros toward Antigua / Xela.
💡 Quick Tips: Exchange USD/EUR to Quetzales (`$1 = Q7.00`) at Maya Tulan before boarding · Respect church step ceremonies (enter Santo Tomás via the side door).
