chichi market

I have been to a lot of markets but I found this one, in Chichi, to be heads 'n tails above the others. I was in ChiChi on a medical mission trip, arriving on Sat. Feb. 21. We hit the market on Sunday; it was an awesome experience! The bright colors were amazing! The people were kind, gracious, & very friendly. The Church was spectacular; we arrived there in time to see the start of the parade...very entertaining. My only complain....the cobblestone streets were a bit rough on my "old joints" & feet. :o) My advice....if you are in ChiChi, don't MISS the market on Sunday, or Thursday.

If you've travelled a lot and have been to a lot of markets, you will find ChiChi to be just another version of those, but with really bright colors. You will find a lot of redundancy with other markets in Guatemala, but I think you can find some stuff that is better quality.One thing I will say is that the locals we encountered in the market were very nice and helpful. My wife and I need some extra money, so we asked around for a secure ATM. Unfortunately, the ATM we went to did not give me the cash I asked for. The woman we wanted to buy from, really went out of her way to help us. She brought us to the bank and spoke with the clerk (my wife and I do not speak Spanish). She helped us find a phone to call my bank (unfortunately it did not work). At one point we "spoke" with the local police (who did not speak English). Another shop keeper, who spoke English, came to help us. The police took us back to the bank and really tried to get the bank to give us our cash. Unfortunately, the bank did not own the ATM and categorically refused to give us the cash, but the bank manager did try and call a main branch to help. In the end, we found the tourist police (who did not speak English) who brought us to the tourist center where there was somone who did speak English. That person let us use his phone to call our bank.It was an unfortunate event, but plenty of locals pitched in to try and help us with the problem.Overall, a good experience in that respect.

You have to go here, don't miss it! It's worth the side trip.This market is like no other in the country. It wanders through and around the center of town and has literally everything you can imagine buying in Guatemala. Shoes, clothes, rugs, blankets, tables, chairs, live animals, misc electronics, kitchen utensils, fresh fruits and veggies, rocks, tools, auto parts, etc. A lot of the textiles are made in ChiChi which means if you are good at bartering you can save a little money here but please remember a lot of these people are poor and the prices are cheap by US standards so don't feel compelled to barter over ever last Q1 (13 cents US).A large percentage of the vendors speak (or understand) English making it easy to negotiate. There's also a lot of restaurants and street vendors so you won't leave hungry.The market is open every Thursday and Sunday (don't go on the other days). Go in the mornings.

The market is opened twice a week, Thu & Sun, The biggest market is on Sunday. We spent a morning walking about ChiChi market (Chichicastenango). They sell everything from pigs, to turkeys, chickens, handmade cloths, scarves, shawls , spices, food, fruit & vegetables.After the market we went to visit the cemetery, the church, the beautiful Hotel Santo Thomas with it's beautiful gardens, parrots and most important for a small fee you can use their bathrooms.

The market is very compact! This is the only reason I didn't give it a higher rating. I was there on a weekend and the Sunday market IS the hot tamale! I've visited many craft markets around the world and this is one of my favorites. I was very impressed with the tapestries, especially after I learned how to KNOW which are handmade and which are done by machine. I enjoyed walking through the food section and got some great pictures there. The church steps provide many great photo opportunities as well. I got some great stuff here at excellent prices but it was just as exciting to sit on the steps at the lesser church (opposite end of the market) and watch people.If you go a day ahead I highly recommend the Mayan Inn for its bar, rooms, and atmosphere. The rooms are loaded with antiques. There are no phones but a button you push in your room WILL bring someone very quickly any time of the day to assist you. Don't count on getting much sleep anywhere in the town as the fervent religious observances often include cannon, fireworks, and drum parades during the post-midnight hours but damn, you can't get much more atmosphere than this!

We visited the market on a Thursday, which is apparently not the busiest day. Nevertheless, it was almost a bit intimidating with the crowds. There certainly was a lot to see and to photograph. Showing the least bit of interest in an item meant that you would be followed and encouraged to buy.

I got this tour tour in the same package with Lake Atitlan boat ride. The trip is worth to see if it is your first trip to Guatemala. If it was not include in any package, the Central Market in Antigua is more interesting to see. The market is just a regular a Mayan small town and making it as a tourist spot. The center of the market is packed with "Guatemala Souvenirs" just like elsewhere in your trip. Loads of tourists were let go into the market at the same time (9 am-2 pm) so the market is full of aggressive sellers. However, if you walk to the edge of the market, you will see scenes of normal market that people come to buy and sell food on the street. If you love to buy stuff and enjoying the interactions of tourists and merchants at the tourist spot, this place is for you. After an hour in the market, I spent the rest of the time sitting in the restaurant at the Hotel Santo Thomas waiting for the bus back to Antigua. The ride to and from the town was quite nice with views of small villages in the rural mountain of Guatemala. You can make a one night trip for yourself by getting bus ticket from Antigua.

Almost impossible to move in some of the streets owing to Saint's Day festivities and procession. Many many local people plus a few tourists.

The ride up was good for seeing great mountain views, but that was all. The market had lots of options and wasn't overly busy when we went, but you could hardly look at items without being followed (we expected that, but it was still annoying). No good restaurants nearby for lunch. We ate at a typical place that was disappointing after other great typical meals. Be sure to keep your money safe- pick pocketing can be bad here, but we were ok. We bought many things, but then got to Panajachel and saw the same items, if not better items, for similar prices- we felt like Chichi was a waste of time when we saw that Pana had similar items, and it was near our hotel and the lake. Only go if you are just really wanting the experience of the market and have plenty of time on your trip (we had only 2 nights in Solola region).

For a mere 97Q you can be driven from Panajachel, Guatemala up 7,000 ft above sealevel to Chichicastenango to see their Thursday market which starts on the steps of the 400 yr old church and goes for blocks...everything from native weavings to food to antiques...an amazing experience...incense wafting from the church steps to delicious aromas of food bei g cooked on charcoal fires. What a fesst for the senses..a photographers dream with all the colour and textures offered. Don t miss it! Wall to wall people.

We visited on a Sunday when it is busier. My friend was looking for jewelry and textiles. As our tour van dropped us off, he asked if we would like to hire a guide. We paid $30 for 3hrs. He spoke very good English and knew exactly where the best vendors were as well as clean bathrooms to use. He would also help with negotiating prices. She could tell him she wanted small charms for a necklace, and he would weave us a path through the streets to a vendor with many choices. He even carried her heavy bags as she shopped. We asked him to find us authentic local food for lunch, so we went to an area in the market where the locals go to eat after stopping by the vegetable vendor area to buy some freshly cut fruit and cheese. We had fresh black corn tortillas and black beans with cheese. The whole meal for all three of us was probably only about $15 and we were stuffed. There were many tourists there visiting, and we were happy to have our guide to help save us time and communicate with the vendors easily. He was worth the extra cost and made our visit so much more interesting. If you run into Sebastion the guide, please tell him the lady with llamas says hello.

We visited the market on a Sunday, the busiest days to go are on Thursday and Sunday, and the place was packed. There is color and activity everywhere, almost too much to take in at once, but definitely worth seeing. If you love to shop this is the place to be, if you love to people watch, this is also the place to be. There are tons of stands everywhere, most of them trying to sell you the same stuff over and over but you can pretty much find anything you want. Be careful because the people can be aggressive, if you're not really interested in something don't touch it or even really stop to look at it, if you do they will flock over to you and follow you all over begging you to buy it for a 'special price, great deal, etc.' Also watch your pockets, it's crowded and narrow and people can easily steal and you'll never know it. If you do find something you like don't be afraid to barter on the price. I found a blanket that I wanted and the lady started off telling me it was $500 Quetzales and when we were done I paid $300 Quetzales because I walked away and told her it was originally too expensive.

Did a road trip through Guatemala and came for the Thursday market. I have been to many market towns in many countries and was almost overwhelmed by the wall-to-wall vendors and throngs of day-tripping tourists who arrive by the bus load with multiple cameras hanging around their necks. You can barely see any of the buildings because of all the stalls set up on every street around the plaza and walking through the crowds is challenging.Aggressive vendors follow you around and do not take "no" for an answer. (I understand they are poor and trying to make some money, but some are so unrelenting that you feel like buying something just so they would stop and go away...not a good practice to encourage)All that being said, it is colorful, different and a scene. There are some nice handi-work to buy, but beware...vendors first price often at least triple of what the final "best price" is. Be prepared to walk away to get a real sense of the price they will sell at. And while the market is very colorful and people photogenic, vendors do not like having their photo taken, or will try to demand money from you if they even think you took their picture. Try to stay overnight and see the real town after or before market day.

We arrived at the Sunday market at 11am. The town and market were so crowded we could barely escape our minibus on the street. The vendors are very aggressive, just walk away. We would offer 1/3 of their asking price and settle for 1/2. We did better shopping around Lake Atitlan. Not sure I would ever go back.

It is well worth visiting the ChiChi market particularly en route to lake Atitlan. There are hundreds of kiosks where the local people sell various handmade items. The market is jointly aimed at the local population and visiting tourists. There are several people selling various indigenous medicinal products, one woman even was handling a snake to get people to gather around so she could make her pitch.