Chichicastenango, also known as Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, is a town in the El Quiché department of Guatemala, known for its traditional Maya Indian culture. Main street in Bastrop, Texas, a small town A town is a residential community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... El Quiché El Quiché is a department of the central American country Guatemala. ... Guatemala is divided in 22 departments Department (Capital) Alta Verapaz (Cobán) Baja Verapaz (Salamá) Chimaltenango (Chimaltenango) Chiquimula (Chiquimula) El Petén (Flores) El Progreso (Guastatoya) El Quiché (Santa Cruz del Quiché) Escuintla (Escuintla) Guatemala (Guatemala) Huehuetenango (Huehuetenango) Izabal (Puerto Barrios) Jalapa (Jalapa) Jutiapa (Jutiapa) Quetzaltenango (Quetzaltenango) Retalhuleu (Retalhuleu) Sacatep... This article is about the people of the former Maya civilization after the conquest by Spain. ...

Chichicastenango serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. A municipality or general-purpose district (compare with: special-purpose district) is an administrative local area generally composed of a clearly defined territory and commonly referring to a city, town, or village government. ...

Market on Chichicastenango Church steps

Chichicatenango is a small and stucco-white town, lying on the crests of mountaintops at an altitude of 1,965 m. It is located about 140 km (86.991 miles) northwest of Guatemala City (a 2-3 hour drive). Download high resolution version (1200x720, 199 KB)Chichicastenango Market, Guatemala. ... Download high resolution version (1200x720, 199 KB)Chichicastenango Market, Guatemala. ... The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ... National Palace of Culture Guatemala City (in full, La Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción; locally known as Guatemala or Guate) is the capital and largest city of the nation of Guatemala. ...

Tourist attractions

Native market

Chichicastenango is home to what is said to be the most colorful native market in North and Central America, perhaps in all America, which takes place twice a week. This town has been, since pre-Hispanic times, one of the largest trading centers in the Maya area. A market is, as defined in economics, a social arrangement that allows buyers and sellers to discover information and carry out a voluntary exchange. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... World map showing the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere historically considered to consist of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ...

The famous handicraft market of Chichicastenango draws not only the K'iche' Maya of the surrounding region, but vendors from all over Guatemala. They represent many of Guatemala's linguistic groups: Mam, Ixil, Kaqchikel, and others (Guatemala has 23 indigenous languages). Each person hawks his or her products in a cacophony of color, dialects, costumes, smoke, and smells. The Kiche (or Quiché in Spanish spelling), are a Native American people, part of the Maya ethnic group. ... The Mam are a Native American people of the highlands of western Guatemala. ... Ixil is a Mayan language. ... The Kaqchikel (in modern orthography; formerly also spelled Cakchiquel) are one of the indigenous Maya peoples of the midwestern highlands in Guatemala. ...

Vendors start setting up their own portable booths in the main plaza and nearby streets of Chichicastenango the night before and set-up continues into the early daylight hours. Although it is sometimes not immediately apparent, the market is very well organized. Vendors of specific types of items occupy traditional places in the market. The fruit and vegetable vendors have their traditional area that they occupy, as well as the vendors of pottery, wooden boxes, condiments, medicinal plants, candles, pom and copal (traditional incense), cal (lime for preparing tortillas), grindstones, pigs and chickens, machetes, and other tools. In the central part of the market plaza are comedores (small eateries). It has been suggested that POM be merged into this article or section. ... Copal is a type of resin, sometimes referred to as pom (the Maya language name). ... CAL may refer to: CAL Cargo Air Lines, a cargo airline based in Israel. ... Categories: Weapon stubs | Swords | Mechanical hand tools ...

Among the items sold are textiles, particularly the women's blouses. The manufacture of masks, used by dancers in traditional dances has also made this city famous for woodcarving. Much of what is sold is of good quality, but there are also products in Chichicastenango's many factories for the not-so-discerning foreign companies. Carved wooden cranes Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool held in the hand (this may be a power tool), resulting in a wooden figure or figurine (this may be abstract in nature) or in the ornamentation of a wooden object. ...

Early in the day, homemade rockets and firecrackers are set off and continue randomly throughout the day. The smell of incense burned at the church of Santo Tomás (on the steps and in the nave) and fireworks mingle together.

Church of Santo Tomás

Another major attraction in Chichicastenango is the 400-year old church of Santo Tomás which is situated next to the market. It is built atop a Pre-Columbian platform, and the steps originally leading to a temple of the pre-Hispanic Maya civilization remain venerated. Shamans still use the church for their rituals, burning incense and candles. In special cases, they burn a chicken for the gods. Each of the 18 stairs that lead up to the church stands for one month of the Maya calendar year. The term Pre-Columbian is used to refer to the cultures of the New World in the era before significant European influence. ... The Maya civilization is a culture Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, its spectacular art and monumental architecture, and sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems. ... Specifically, Shaman (saman) is a term in Evenk, Manchu and other Manchu-Tungus languages for an intellectual and spiritual figure; who usually possess power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, one of which is analogous to the function of a healer in other cultures. ... Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal sources, intended to release fragrant smoke for religious, therapeutic, or aesthetic purposes as it smolders. ... The Maya calendar is actually a system of distinct calendars and almanacs used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. ...

Other attractions

Other sights in Chichicastenango include native musicians playing in the streets, religious processions, mask carvers, antique and relic stores, the Popul Vuh Museum of Mayan artifacts, and the colorful cemetery.

There is also an ancient stone idol that can be accessed after some exploration. The idol is still in use; offerings of flowers, candles, incense and sugar cane rum are evident. Tourists are advised to stay back if there are any rituals being performed at the idol, as sometimes still happens.

External links

• Chichicastenanfo market video
• Chichicastenango - The most colorful native market in the Americas

Coordinates: 14°56′N 91°07′W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...