The Highlands - Guatemala - page 266

ous outfits, as well as evidence of Chajul's resistance during the armed conflict of the
1980s.
Limitless Horizons Ixil ( 5332-6264; www.limitlesshorizonsixil.org ) is an NGO based in Chajul
working to expand educational opportunities for local children. It offers home visits and
meals with indigenous families, guided hikes to sacred Maya sites, classes in weaving and
the Ixil language, and lots of other fun and fascinating activities.
Standing in a patch of forest, the Posada Vetz K'aol ( 5784-8802; [e-mail]; dm/r per
person Q66/77) is a former stable, built in the local style with carved wood columns along an
arcade. Most of the pine- paneled rooms have four or five bunk beds and there's one
double with its own bathroom. A cozy sitting room has a large fireplace and coffee maker.
Located a 10-minute stroll from the center of Chajul, down a path off the road from Ne-
baj, it's owned by a local coffee growers' cooperative that offers half-day tours of the area
for Q50 per person. Host Eduardo can meet you in the village and accompany you to the
lodge.
Acul
Acul, 4km west of Nebaj, was founded as the first polo de desarrollo (pole of develop-
ment) in 1983. Considered 'strategic hamlets', these settlements were constructed to en-
able the army to keep inhabitants from having contact with the guerrillas. After the civil
war, some people returned to their original homes but others stayed on since they'd re-
ceived plots of land. Set astride the bucolic Río Acul Valley, it retains a functional appear-
ance, with stores and Evangelical prayer halls along either side of a broad dirt street.
These days the main activities are weaving, cattle ranching and loom building.
Just north of Acul is a pair of farms devoted to the making of cheese. They were started
by two immigrant brothers, the Azzaris, cheese makers in their native Italian Alps who
moved to Guatemala in the 1930s, perhaps choosing the Acul valley because of its alpine
appearance. Older brother José gained renown as a prize wrestler before being killed in
the ring.
Both farms offer excellent accommodations. The first you come to, the Hacienda Mil
Amores ( 5704-4817; r per person Q183) , has four country cabins on a hillside and serves a su-
perb lunch (Q55, by reservation). Just across the way, the humbler Hacienda San Antonio (
5702-1907; haciendasanantonio.webs.com ; r per person Q160) has half a dozen neat, wood-floored
rooms, some with hot-water bathroom, and does meals (Q55). Microbuses ply the paved