Chichicastenango

Guatemala's Colorful Maya Market

By Toni Dabbs

Without a doubt, one of the most colorful markets in the world takes place at Chichicastenango, a Maya town in the highlands of Guatemala. It springs to life each Thursday and Sunday, filling the main square between Santo Tomas church and El Calvario chapel and spilling onto side streets.

On Wednesday and Saturday evenings, men carry bundles of pine poles to the square, where vendors from villages throughout the region, most wearing traditional Maya clothing, are preparing to spend the night. Shortly after sunrise the following day, the poles are fitted together and draped with cloth to form stalls, and tables are set up and piled with goods.

Some stalls show wares mass produced for the tourist trade, but many vendors still display handcrafted items, such as weavings, masks, carvings and pottery.

At the center of the action, often missed by tourists who don't know to look for it, is the farmers' market, where highland residents can buy fresh fruits and vegetables as well as necessities not available in their own villages, such as soap, sewing notions, toys and pans.

And on the church steps, flower sellers gather, convenient to worshipers on their way inside.

The church is busiest on Sundays, when mass is celebrated, although the local religion is not strictly Catholic. Some Sundays, religious brotherhoods known as cofradias stage processions.

After seeing the beautiful clothing worn by the highland Mayas, visitors often want to buy garments as souvenirs. Items readily available include:

Faja - A long sash woven on a backstrap loom that is worn by both men and women as a belt.

Tzute (male) or Kaperraj (female) - A large rectangular cloth used by local people as a bag for carrying just about anything or as a basket cover, baby sling, head scarf or shawl.
Corte or Refago - A piece of cloth seven to 10 yards long that is wrapped around the body to serve as a skirt. Generally, girls wear it above the knee, married women at the knee, and older women below the knee.

Huipil - A blouse woven on a backstrap loom and then elaborately appliqued and embroidered with motifs. Originally, the huipil featured geometric designs, but it now includes more realistic motifs representing Maya life and mythology, such as corn, flowers, rabbits, the sun, lightning and a double-headed eagle. Taught to weave from an early age, a Maya woman may spend months producing her huipil, which is her statement of identity as an individual within her community.

When buying hand-made textiles, shoppers are unlikely to find identical items, because each piece is a unique creation. In addition, styles, patterns and colors of Maya clothing vary from village to village.

by Toni Dabbs

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Guatemalan Tourism Institute
255 Alhambra Circle, Suite 500
Coral Gables FL 33134
Ph: 305-448-7450

Guatemalan Tourism Institute
130 Albert Street, Suite 1010
Ottawa ON K1P 5G4
Ph: 613-233-7237
http://www.guatemala.travel.com.gt

Copyright 2001 by Toni Dabbs. This work, including photographs, is protected by copyright and may be used only for personal non-commercial purposes. All other rights are reserved, and commercial use is prohibited without permission of the author.