Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
swimming pool with water slide, a couple of saunas and a fine museum. Large rooms are
decorated in colonial style and open onto the lawn. Breakfast is served on the fabulous
lake-view terrace.
HOTEL
Hotel Dos Mundos $$$
( 7762-2078;
www.hoteldosmundos.com
; Calle Santander 4-72; s/d/tr incl breakfast Q400/560/ 720; )
Italian-owned Dos Mundos stands toward the lake end of busy Calle Santander but its in-
stallations are set well away from the street. The 22 cottage-style rooms are set around
tropical gardens with a palm-fringed pool, all decked out with attractive woven bed-
spreads.
Rancho Grande Inn $$$
HOTEL
( 7762-2255;
www.ranchograndeinn.com
; Calle Rancho Grande; s/d incl breakfast from Q360/545; )
Founded in the 1940s, the Rancho Grande has a dozen rooms, suites and
cabañas
in Ger-
man country-style villas amid manicured lawns dotted with fruit trees. Rates include a
filling breakfast featuring original pancakes and homegrown honey and coffee. Best of all,
there's bar service in the swimming pool until 9pm.
WORTH A TRIP
IXIMCHÉ
The remnants of the Kaqchiquels' 15th-century capital stand some 15km due east of Lago de Atitlán. The
'palaces' and temples uncovered here are modest in scale but ensconced in a serene, park-like setting. Iximché re-
mains an important ceremonial site for indigenous pilgrims, who visit the area to perform magic rituals, burning
liquor, paraffin or sticks of wood in front of the pyramids to ward off illness or bring down enemies.
K'icab the Great, leader of the Kaqchiquels, relocated his capital here in 1463 from its previous location near
the K'iche' Maya stronghold of K'umarcaaj. At that time, the Kaqchiquel were at war with the K'iche', and the
natural defences of the new location, a flat promontory surrounded by ravines, served them well. The Spanish,
who arrived in 1524, set up their first Guatemalan headquarters here, forming an alliance with the resident
Kaqchiquels against their K'iche' enemies. However, the Europeans' demands for gold and other loot soon put an
end to their alliance with the Kaqchiquel, who were defeated in an ensuing guerrilla war.
Entering the archaeological site, visit the small
museum
(closed Monday) on the right, then continue to the
four ceremonial plazas, which are surrounded by temple structures up to 10m high, and ball courts. Some struc-
tures have been uncovered; on a few the original plaster coating is still in place.
The ruins are reached from the town of Tecpán, off the Interamericana. Buses traveling east from La Cuchilla
junction can drop you at the turnoff; from there it's about a 1km walk (or, if you're lucky, a short ride on an urban
bus) to the center of town. 'Ruinas' microbuses to the site (Q5, 10 minutes) leave from near Tecpán's main plaza
every 15 minutes till 4pm. The last bus back leaves the site no later than 4:30pm.
