Chimaltenango
Chimaltenango is a mid-size city of about 100,000 people in the Central Highlands region just west of Guatemala City.
Understand
editThe city has few attractions to draw the foreign traveler, but with several hotels, restaurants, and bus connections to towns and cities in the region, it can serve as an adequate stop for various adventures to nearby sites, such as volcanoes and Mayan archaeological sites.
History
editThe city was originally a Mayan settlement called B oko, but when the Spaniards arrived in 1526, they used the name Chimaltenango, which was what their Nahuatl-speaking slave-guides called it.
Get in
edit
By bus
editChicken bus is the best and cheapest way to get to Chimaltenango. From Guatemala City, go to Trebol (around the intersection of CA 1 and CA 9). Several chicken bus routes from different areas begin and end in this area. In Zona 7 are the buses to Chimaltenango, which depart at least twice per day (ask locals for the exact spot where buses pick up and the inexact times they depart. The trip takes 1 hour by bus and costs about 15 quetzal.
Buses arrive in Chimaltenango near the Mercado (see Buy, below).
By car
editA taxi from Guatemala City to Chimaltenango will take about 30 minutes and cost about 100 quetzal.
Get around
editSee
edit- Iximche - about 30 minutes by taxi from Chimaltenango is a small Mayan archaeological site that is well maintained and is popular (and easily accessed). The site is open 08:00 - 16:00 daily and costs 50 quetzals per adult. The site dates from the last post-classic period (roughly 1325 to 1525). It was a populated Mayan city at the time of the Spanish conquest and was the principal city in the region. Structures are in good condition and consist of 6 plazas and over 150 structures. The site sits at an elevation of 2,277 meters.
Do
edit- Guided Volcano tours are offered to the nearby Acatenango and Pacaya volcanoes.
Buy
edit- 1 Mercado Terminal de Chimaltenango. M-F 06:00 - 18:00, Sa-Su 09:00 - 18:00. The city's traditional marketplace is bustling with local vendors and customers. Cheap food and a variety of general houseware products can be found here. Many Chicken bus routes begin or end within a block or so of the market.
Eat
edit- 1 Del Puente Hamburguesas, 3ra. Calle 9B-42, zona 4 km. 56, Pan-American Highway, ☏ +502 2306 2353. Delicious (and huge) Angus-beef burgers on fresh baked rolls. Sides include curly fries, cheese poppers etc.
- 2 Ruben's Restaurante y Coffee, 1 Avenida 2-51, ☏ +502 5922 7711. W-M 07:30 - 20:00, closed Tu. Casual cafe with open-air dining area serving nachos, sandwiches and other light fare.
Drink
editSleep
edit- 1 Finca la Loma, Carretera Interamericana km 55.5, ☏ +502 7795 5757. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Large guest ranch on the rural outskirts of town. Cabins and guest rooms are spacious and clean. On-site restaurant serves rustic but tasty meals. Lots of outdoor activities including mountain bike riding, paintball, and horseback riding.
- 2 La Mansion de las Cascadas, 2a Avenida 1-75, ☏ +502 7839 3137. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Small hotel with clean, comfortable rooms in an urban downtown neighborhood. Doors locked after 10pm. Q255.
- 3 Hotel Santa Emilia, 100mts de la carretera CA1, 3ra. avenida, ☏ +502 4137 3610. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 10:00. Comfortable moderate hotel with clean, spacious rooms and friendly service. Off-street parking available. Has a swimming pool but is only open seasonally. On-site restaurant available. Q400.
- 4 Bosque Macadamia, Aldea Santo Domingo, El Rosario, El Tejar, ☏ +502 5918 2720. Check-in: 10:00, check-out: 16:00. Cozy rural mountain retreat with clean, spacious rooms and friendly service. Good place for nature lovers, surrounded by pine tree forests. Off the beaten path on the outskirts of town. Access road may be difficult for small cars. Serves breakfast but no full-service restaurant with other meals (and its pretty far from town). Q660.