Chichicastenango is a highland Maya town in the Quiché department of Guatemala, best known for its twice-weekly market — one of the largest and most colourful indigenous markets in Central America, held every Thursday and Sunday in the streets and central plaza. Vendors spread out from the main square carrying hand-woven textiles, carved masks, pottery, and produce, and the smell of copal incense drifts through the stalls from dawn until afternoon.
At the east side of the main plaza stands the 16th-century Church of St. Thomas, a whitewashed colonial structure built around 1540 on the site of a pre-Columbian altar. On the church steps, Maya priests still burn copal and perform rituals that blend Catholic and traditional Maya practice — a syncretic tradition that has persisted for nearly five centuries. Inside, candles and flowers are offered before the saints and the lords of nature. It is one of the more striking examples of religious blending in Guatemala.
The town is easily reached from Quetzaltenango or Panajachel by shuttle or public bus. Most visitors come as a day trip, but staying overnight lets you experience the market setup and takedown, and the town has a calmer character once the day-trippers leave.