Trips to Guatemala

QUICHE'

Quiche' is a department that is located in the north-western region of Guatemala. He limits the north with Mexico; to the south with the departments of Chimaltenango and Sololá; to the east with the departments of Discharge Verapaz and Baja Verapaz; and to the west with the departments of Totonicapán and Huehuetenango.

Quiche' is one of the departments formerly more colonizing with the nation; for that reason it is the territory in which, along with Huehuetenango, more languages are spoken: uspanteco, the Ixil, sacapulteco. the quekchí…

It is from interest, mainly, all the municipality of Chichicastenango.  Here the greatness of the religious faith of the old descending towns of the Mayans can be admired in all their splendor. The religious ceremonies are presided over generally by the Mayan priests, who are people specialized and engaged by the neighbors so that they serve like intermediaries before the beings as further on (God, Jesus Christ, Saints, God World, spíritus of the ancestors, etc.) by means of a symbolic payment. These ceremonies take place as much inside as outside the church, and also in mounts, special places that call quemaderos. In these ceremonies they take offerings like incenses, copal, pom, brandy, candles… One of the sites most attractive to be visited is the Turcaj Hill, where World venerates to the God, a called stone deity Paschal Abaj. 

In Chichicastenango is a colonial church constructed by the Dominican priests in 1540. In its convent the “Popol Vuh” was found, sacred book of the Quichés.  

The archaeological site of Utatlán, known like Gumarcaj, that was the old capital of the kingdom Quiche', located to 4 km of Santa Cruz of Quiche' can also be visited and who counts on a museum of pre-Hispanic art and a center for visitors.