Typical Markets of Guatemala

Guatemala is well known for its colorful and lively markets. There is nothing better to know about the culture than a walk in the market to have a great overview of traditional clothes and meet local people that shop daily in these markets. Authenticity guaranteed.

There are markets everywhere and everything can be found. From traditional fabrics to meat stalls, shoe sellers, electronic devices or fruits and vegetables of all kinds. It probably looks like a mess but it is also its beauty.

During a trip to Guatemala, you will have the opportunity to discover markets. Small and bigger, where all ages meet in one place. Open your senses and come live an experience like no other. Markets are an explosion of colors, flavors and it is pure joy for your eyes and taste buds. The chaos, the nonstop bustle, the perfumed atmosphere will surprise you.

Welcome to the vibrant market of Chichicastenango or “Chichi” for the locals. It is one of the biggest, oldest and most famous markets of Latin America. This market, located at an altitude of more than 2.000 meter, takes place every Thursdays and Sundays.

Very popular among travelers, this market is not a tourist trap. There are handmade and authentic products. On an economic scale, the market is a major source of income for a lot of the sellers. Indigenous people such as Kaqchikel, wearing their traditional clothes, go down from the surrounding villages to sell their products. The city becomes a true kaleidoscope of colors and smells. In the center of the village, shamans are purifying the church stairs with incense and perform Mayan rituals. Hence, it is in a place full of spirituality that the market of Chichicastenango grows.

Sellers are preparing their stall very early in the morning; it’s when the fever market starts. Everything can be found on Chichicastenango market: fruits and vegetables, from all sizes, embroidered clothes and accessories, potteries, colorful traditional fabrics, candles and incenses, homemade tortillas made by women that pat the corn dough that they will cook on a burning hot plate, typical dishes, flowers and plants, living chickens, meat, traditional wood carved masks, jewelries, hammocks, etc.

It is the perfect place to find your travel souvenirs. There is always a little something for anyone visiting this market.

Make your own way between the stalls and the crowd to start a negotiation game

It is impossible to leave the market without a little something. Don’t get lost in this maze and find the souvenirs all of your friends will envy you. But being a tourist means the tourist tax. Local merchants will have no mercy in giving you a price 3 times what a Guatemalan would pay. So before you hand them cash, learn how to negotiate. First, have a walk around the market, ask for price, pay attention to others’ negotiation and start your own. But play smart, there is always a limit to negotiating!

Other key places in Chichicastenango:

• Saint Thomas Church: built on the main plaza of the village, there are often Catholic and Mayan religious ceremonies. To get in the church, there are 18 steps, representing each month of the Mayan calendar. On market days, shamans realize rituals and the atmosphere surrounding the place is captivating.
• Mayan ceremonies: many Mayan ceremonies take place in the village.
• Original lunch: a prehispanic lunch with an anthropologist, would you like to try? It will be a real experience to learn more about Guatemala history and culture. Contact us to live this experience! Fun fact: carrots didn’t exist in America until Spanish conquest.
• Cemetery: The colorful Mayan cemetery is worthwhile! Every color has a meaning and every year, families paint their friends and family tombs on “Día de los muertos”, November 1st.

Near the Atitlan lake is the village of Sololá where, on Tuesdays and Fridays, a market takes place! Further communities come to the village to sell corn, beans and other local produce and go back to their house with oil, salt, meat, etc. that they need for their household. It’s a lively and colorful traditional market where everyone wears their traditional clothes, different from each village. On market day, communities are enjoying their guilty pleasures that cannot be found in their home villages: sweets, fried chicken, etc.

Come discover this traditional market and taste the local gastronomy! Meet your local guide in Panajachel and make your way to Sololá in the local transport “chicken bus”.

Visit the market and have a look at the great variety of traditional outfits. Try local street food thanks to your guide’s advice. After a heated morning that gives you a sneak peak of the local life, you will take another chicken bus to Reserva Atitlan, to discover the other villages.

Live the life of locals and reach the market in chicken bus

Chicken buses are the local public transport in Guatemala, and they look fantastic! They are old American school buses that Guatemalan painted with tons of colors. Every bus is a reflection of their driver’s desire, which can be love, machism, religion, nation or everything at the same time. Every bus has a woman’s name and in big letters, between the rainbowed-color design, the name of its destination.

The name chicken bus fits them well, for 2 main reasons:

• It refers to the fact that sometimes people travel with living animals such as chickens
• It also refers to the amount of people stacked in the buses

Every chicken bus hires 1 or 2 young men, called ayudantes, that are responsible for the passengers and collecting the trip fee, their luggage and organizing the bus life, such as everything that needs to be set on the bus roof. They are also in charge of announcing the bus stops.

The atmosphere is very animated! It is a true cultural experience that you will never forget!

During your trip to Antigua, we advise that you have a walk in the Antigua market, which is open every day. It is also a melting pot of a little bit of everything: handicrafts, foods, fabrics, electronic devices, flowers, and so on. We could also offer you to shop in the market and prepare a typical dish of Guatemala. Contact us to organize a cooking workshop with a local family and share an unforgettable moment.

San Francisco el Alto is a small village located near Quetzaltenango (also called Xela), in the department of Totonicapán. On Fridays, the village transforms into one of the biggest markets of Guatemala. Surrounding villages communities come to San Francisco El Alto by foot, starting to walk around 4am to go to the market and sell their harvests. One of the peculiarities of this market is that it’s where the most living livestocks are sold. This market is truly an event for local populations and it’s a place that is still full of authenticity: everyone comes with traditional outfits and there are very few tourists unlike the other markets.

Whatever brings you to Guatemala, markets are a must-see. Contact us to live a crazy adventure!