My Rough Guide to Guatemala claims that Chichicastenango has hosted markets on Thursdays and Sundays for "hundreds, perhaps thousands of years." And since this town is so famous for its twice weekly market I thought I should cap off my seven weeks in Central America with a visit.
If you're claustrophobic or don't care to be squeezed into a slowly moving mass of people, you may want to give Chichi a miss. Yet though I prefer to observe things from the sidelines, there's no doubt that there's lots of fine stuff for sale, especially of the colorful, locally hand-woven textiles.
Despite my best efforts to fend off the hawkers--I'm not really "in the market" for anything--I have dropped about $20 total on a shirt and carved wooden flute. Probably I've paid a little too much, especially for the shirt, but there's no denying I bought a nice one.
In a sense I didn't buy anything at all but rather paid two sales people Q150 total for their friendly but persistent efforts to make me part with my money!
(Okay, I will admit that I was in the market for shirt. And as for the flute, well...I figured I might find a use for it in Suzuki group classes next year.)
Joking aside, today for the first time on this journey I have felt just a little bit nervous about pickpockets, so I have taken appropriate precautions.
I had hoped to take a few photos but the crowds make it difficult plus I'm dealing with the reality that the locals--largely from the indigenous tribes who live in Guatemala's western highlands--remain fiercely sensitive about being photographed without permission, so I don't want to cause unnecessary offense. I will address this issue in a future post about my ongoing "photography mission."
Apart from the beautiful textiles, you can buy an array of fine leather goods, hammocks, handbags, shoulder bags, indigenous costumes, wallets, purses, belts, shoes, household items, hand-made jewelry and silver items, and much, much more. There is a whole section of "wet" market as well with fresh meats, poultry, fish, fruits, vegetables, and grains.
If I have time I want to find my Wisconsin aunt's church's sister church which is here in Chichi. All I have is a name, so I'll have to ask someone and hope they can direct me.
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