The Highlands - Guatemala - page 310

Soloma (Q25, three hours) Hourly microbuses from 4:30am to 2:30pm from El Calvario
gas station.
Todos Santos Cuchumatán (Q25, two hours) Microbuses hourly from 4:30am to 2:30pm
from El Calvario gas station.
Getting Around
City buses circulate between the bus station and the town center from 5am to around 9pm.
Arriving in Huehue, leave the east side of the station through the gap between the Díaz
Álvarez and Transportes Fortaleza offices; walk through the covered market opposite to
the next street, where ' Centro' buses depart every few minutes (Q2). To return to the bus
station from the center, catch the buses outside the Hotel La Sexta.
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Around Huehuetenango
Except for Todos Santos Cuchumatán, the mountainous far northwest of Guatemala is
little visited by travelers. The adventurous few will often be a novelty to the local Maya
folks they meet. Spanish skills, patience and tact will pave the way in these parts.
Chiantla
POP 10,500 / ELEV 2056M
Just before the climb into the Cuchumatanes, you'll come across this village, the former
seat of the municipality, now practically a suburb of Huehuetenango. Its church holds the
Virgen del Rosario , a silver statue donated by the owner of a local mine. The virgin is be-
lieved to have mystical healing powers and people come from all over the country to seek
her assistance. The main date for the pilgrimage is February 2, when the town packs out
with supplicants and the infirm.
Also in the church are some interesting murals painted in the 1950s, showing local Maya
having miraculous experiences while working in the silver mines.
Another 4km on from Chiantla, El Mirador Juan Diéguez Olaverri overlooks Huehuetenango
from a point up in the Cuchumatanes. On a clear day it offers a great view of the entire re-
gion and many volcanoes. Mounted on plaques here is the poem, A Los Cuchumatanes,
penned by the lookout point's namesake. Local kids will recite it to you for a tip. And