Chichicastenango, Indigenous ceremonial center in Quiché Department, Guatemala.
Chichicastenango is an administrative center in Quiché Department at 2,075 meters elevation, dominated by the Santo Tomás Church built on an ancient Maya temple platform. The central plaza is surrounded by traditional stone houses and narrow streets leading to the market.
The Santo Tomás Church was built at a Maya sacred site and is known as the location where Father Francisco Ximénez discovered the Popol Vuh, a sacred Maya text. This site thus connects both Spanish colonial history and the region's indigenous heritage.
On the church steps, local shamans perform ceremonies with incense and flower petals, blending Maya and Catholic traditions. These practices remain visible today and show how two belief systems coexist in daily life.
The central market is active on Thursdays and Sundays, with streets full of vendors selling textiles, masks, ceramics, and local goods. The best time to explore is early morning when it is less crowded and lighting is better for photographs.
The cemetery displays color-painted tombs where each section is painted in specific hues representing family lineages according to Maya tradition. This color-coding reveals genealogy and social structures of local communities at a glance.
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