The Highlands - Lonely Planet

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The Highlands
Includes 
Sololá............................ 93
Panajachel.................... 93
Santiago Atitlán.......... 105
San Pedro
La Laguna................... 108
San Juan La Laguna.... 112
San Marcos
La Laguna.................... 114
Chichicastenango........ 118
Nebaj............................125
Quetzaltenango.......... 130
Huehuetenango...........147
Best Places to Eat
¨¨Restaurante Hana (p101)
¨¨Café El Artesano (p113)
¨¨Café Sabor Cruceño (p117)
¨¨Allala (p115)
¨¨Mayan Inn (p120)
Best Places
to Sleep
¨¨La Fortuna (p117)
¨¨Mayan Inn (p120)
¨¨Hacienda Mil Amores
(p130)
¨¨La Casa del Mundo (p116)
¨¨Posada Rural Finca
Chaculá (p156)
Why Go?
Guatemala’s most dramatic region – El Altiplano – stretches from Antigua to the Mexican border. Traditional values
and customs are strongest here. Maya dialects are spoken
far more widely than Spanish, and over a dozen distinct
groups dwell within the region, each with its own language
and clothing. Such extraordinary diversity is perhaps most
evident in the weekly markets of Chichicastenango and San
Francisco El Alto. This is where indigenous tradition blends
most tantalizingly with Spanish, and it is common to see
Maya rituals taking place in front of and inside colonial
churches.
Most travelers spend a spell at volcano-ringed Lago de
Atitlán. West of the lake stands Guatemala’s second city,
Quetzaltenango. Northward spread the Cuchumatanes
mountains, where indigenous life follows its own rhythms
amidst fantastic mountain landscapes. For hikers, this is the
promised land.
When to Go
If you’re up for trekking the Ixil Triangle or scaling Volcán Santa María, trails tend to be less muddy and volcano
­visibility is best from November to April.
Key events to plan a trip around include Quetzaltenango’s annual party (late September or early October); devil-­
burning ceremonies in Chichicastenango (early December);
and folk saint Maximón’s spring move in Santiago Atitlán
(Holy Week).
Try to be in Todos Santos Cuchumatán on November 1,
when the normally sedate town hosts a no-holds-barred
celebration with rowdy horse races and all-male marimba
dancing.
0
0
91
Benemérito
de las Américas
30 km
20 miles
Flor de
Café
La Trinitaria
Gracias
a Dios
Finca Chaculá
Presa de la
Angostura
Chajul
Ixcán
Rí
o
Parque Nacional
Lagunas de
Yolnajab
Montebello Lagos de Laguna
(Laguna Brava)
Montebello
Comitán
La
cant ún
Reserva de la Biósfera
Montes Azules
Yalambojoch
Playa
Grande
San Mateo
Ixtatán
MEX
190
Nentón
Santa
Eulalia
San Miguel
Acatán
MEXICO
La Mesilla
1
Jacaltenango
Soloma
San Juan Ixcoy
La Torre
(3837m)
Todos Santos
Cuchumatán
San Juan
Atitán
Pueblo
Viejo
Zaculeu
Sier r
a d e Ch a má
Laguna
Magdalena
Chajul
Nebaj
Co r d i l l er a de
Chiantla
San Juan Cotzal
n
lo s C u c h u m a t a
Aguacatán
Huehuetenango
es
Uspantán
Sacapulas
Volcán
Tacaná
(4093m)
1
Cubulco
Momostenango
Santa Cruz
del Quiché
na
Talismán San Marcos
El Carmen
a
eric
ram
Inte Hwy
Volcán
Tajumulco
(4220m)
Th e H i g h l a n ds H
G i ghlan d s H i ghl i gh t s
Ciudad
Cuauhtémoc
Parque Nacional
Laguna Lachuá
Barillas
San Francisco
Joyabaj
El Alto
Chichicastenango
Cuatro Caminos
Totonicapán
Salcajá
Los Encuentros
San Juan Ostuncalco
Mixco
La Cuchilla
Viejo
5
1
San Martín Sacatepéquez
Quetzaltenango
Tecpán
Zunil
Ciudad
Volcán Chicabal
San Juan
Panajachel
Tecún
a
r
a
n
N
j
Volcán
Santa
María
o
o
(2900m)
i
Iximché Comalapa
Umán 2 R
Lago de
(3772m)
Volcán Atitlán
Volcán
Chimaltenango Santiago
San
Pedro
Patzún
Santiaguito
Sacatepéquez
El Palmar (3020m)
1
(2488m) Viejo
San Lucas
Santiago
Tolimán
GUATEMALA
Atitlán
El Zarco Junction
Mangrove
11
CITY
Volcán
Volcán Tolimán Volcán
Antigua
Acatenango
9
Retalhuleu
Ocós
Atitlán
(3158m)
(3976m)
Volcán
1
(3537m)
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Volcán Fuego
(3763m)
Agua
(3766m)
The Highlands Highlights
1 Soaring over, diving under
or relaxing by sublime Lago de
Atitlán (p92).
2 Hunting for huipiles
(embroidered tunics) and
other Maya weavings at
vibrant indigenous markets in
Chichicastenango (p118) and
San Francisco El Alto (p145).
3 Upgrading your Spanish
and ascending volcanoes in
and around Quetzaltenango
(p130).
4 Taking in the stunning
scenery and village life of the
Ixil Triangle around Nebaj
(p125).
5 Mingling with the Maya in
Todos Santos Cuchumatán
(p152), San Mateo Ixtatán
(p154) and other remote
villages.