Excursion tour "Classic program in Guatemala"

Today we will go to the largest Mayan highland market, Chichicastenango (Thursday or Sunday only). Chichicastenango was formerly called Chaviar and was an important trading city of the Kaqchikels long before the Spanish conquest. Surrounded by valleys and mountains that obscure the horizon, Chichicastenango can seem isolated in time and space from the rest of Guatemala. When its narrow, cobbled streets and red-tiled roofs are covered in fog, as they often are, it can feel like you're in some kind of fairy tale. Throngs of vendors and tourist groups flock to the country's largest highland market on Thursday and Sunday. If you can choose when to come, it is best to visit the market on a Sunday, as the market is much larger and the cofradias (religious brotherhoods) hold processions in and around St. Thomas Church. The Catholic patron of the city is St. Thomas, in his honor the Church of Santo Tomas was built in the city in 1540. Towards the local cemetery you will see another Catholic Church called Golgotha or Calvario. And what is a market without shopping, so take enough money with you to buy souvenirs. At the market you can pay with American dollars, and more recently with credit cards. The Chichicastenango market is famous mainly for its textiles and masks. We will then head to Panajachel, located on the shores of Lake Atitlan. On the final descent from Solola to Panajachel, enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Atitlan. Overnight at the Villa Santa Catarina hotel. (Meals: 3)

Today we will look at the most interesting cities where the Tzutuhili Mayans still live on Lake Atitlan. And we'll start with San Juan. San Juan is the cleanest and tidiest town on the lake. There are many art galleries here, whose artists paint in the Naive or Primitivist style. There are many women's cooperatives in San Juan. You can visit a women's textile factory, see the hand weaving and natural dyeing processes, and meet a group of comadrons, or midwives, who grow different types of medicinal herbs for natural medicine. Traditional agriculture, fishing, weaving reed mats and the production of high-quality textiles are an integral part of the life of the local population. You definitely won’t find souvenirs from China here. And of course we will try very tasty coffee in one of the coffee shops. Afterwards, we will take a boat to the other side of the lake to the city of Santiago Atitlan. Santiago, founded in 1547 at the foot of the Toliman volcano, is the largest city with a population of 32 thousand people, 95% of whom are Maya Tzutujil. The local population lives by fishing, farming and making cayucos (local canoes). We will also look into the local Catholic church, where two religions merged - Catholicism and Mayan beliefs, and walk past the local city hall, where the city elders sit dressed in white striped shorts and birds embroidered on the bottom. The most real color. Return to Panajachel and transfer to Antigua. Overnight at the Villa Colonial Hotel. (Meals: 3)

Walking tour of Antigua. Antigua Guatemala lies in the wide mountain valley of Panchoy, sandwiched between the cones of the Agua, Acatenango and Fuego volcanoes. The city was founded in 1543 as the third capital of Guatemala, and was called Santiago de Guatemala. All of Guatemala's first three capitals were named after St. James the Apostle or Santiago. And only after the severe Santa Marta earthquake occurred in 1773, the capital had to be moved to a new location in Guatemala City, and after 2 years people began to call the third capital Antigua Guatemala or ancient, old Guatemala. We start in the historical center of Antigua from the main square, visiting the main monuments of the city. Let's return to Guatemala. Transfer to the international airport. (Meals: 3)