Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AROUND ANTIGUA
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Jocotenango
This village just northwest of Antigua provides a window on to a less self-conscious, less
Unesco-authorized version of Guatemalan life than does central Antigua. Though Jocoten-
ango is now plagued by traffic, the
church
stands proudly at the center as it has for centuries,
with its peach facade graced by baroque columns and elaborate stucco-work, facing a
garden aflame with African tulip trees. The town is known for its processions during Lent -
or perhaps more so as the birthplace of Latin American pop star Ricardo Arjona.
A sprawling coffee plantation outside Jocotenango,
Centro Cultural La Azotea
(
7831-1120;
info@centroazotea.com; Calle del Cementerio Final; adult/child Q50/25; 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-3pm Sat)
features a complex of three museums. The
Museo del Café
covers the history and process of
coffee cultivation; the
Casa K'ojom
holds a superb collection of traditional Maya musical in-
struments, masks, paintings and other artifacts; and the
Rincón de Sacatepéquez
displays the
multicolored outfits and crafts of the Antigua valley.
You can roam the coffee plantation itself, which is crisscrossed by nature trails. A shop
sells quality coffee, local crafts and Maya instruments, and a restaurant offers good, moder-
ately priced Guatemalan food. There is also the
Establo La Ronda
, where you can take a one-
hour morning horse ride around the grounds (minimum two persons; ring the museum two
days ahead).
Free minibuses to La Azotea leave from Antigua's Parque Central hourly from 9am to
3pm, with the last one returning at 4:40pm.
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El Hato
High in the hills above Jocotenango is
Earth Lodge
(
5664-0713;
www.earthlodgeguatemala.com
;
dm
Q50, s/d/tr cabin Q100/170/195)
. The 40-acre spread set on a working avocado farm has views
of the Panchoy valley and volcanoes that are truly mesmerizing. Developed and overseen
