THE WESTERN HIGHLANDS - Guatemala - page 224

stuffed animal heads. There's good filet mignon for about $6 and grilled chicken with rice,
potatoes, and vegetables. La Pizza de Ciro, on the west side of the plaza, serves edible
pizzas but certainly nothing to write home about. If all else fails there's always Guatem-
ala'sever-popularanswertoKFC, Pollo Campero (2aAvenida7-35Zona1),servingtasty
friedorgrilledchicken,sandwiches,andsomedecentbreakfastsinasit-downenvironment
withwaitstaff.PzzaandpastadisheshavebeenaddedaspartofapartnershipwithSpanish
chain Telepizza.
SERVICES
Banrural, on the plaza's northwest corner, changes dollars and travelers checks and has a
MasterCard ATM. Banco G&T Continental also has a location with a Visa/ PLUS ATM
machine just down the street from Pollo Campero.
GETTING THERE
Thecitybusdepotisfourblockssouthandthentwoblockseastofthecentralplaza.Sever-
al of the buses heading to Chichicastenango from Guatemala City continue this way. There
are buses every 30 minutes between 3 A.M. and 5 P.M. heading back toward Guatem-
ala City, stopping at Chichicastenango and the Los Encuentros junction along the way. If
you're heading north, there are eight daily buses to Nebaj (2.5 hours, $3) between 8:30
A.M. and 5 P.M. All of these stop in Sacapulas (one hour, $1.50) along the way, meaning
there is also hourly service to this city during the same period.
A road linking Santa Cruz del Quiché directly to Huehuetenango, to the west, may be a
reality by the time you read this.
EAST OF SANTA CRUZ DEL QUICHÉ
The road east from El Quiché runs along the Sierra de Chuacús through some villages
set in verdant agricultural fields and is newly paved, ultimately winding up in Guatemala
City some 160 kilometers away. The first of these villages, 10 kilometers away, is Chiché,
which shares similar characteristics with Chichicastenango and has a Wednesday market.
Farther along are the towns of Chinique and Zacualpa. Known as Pamaca in Postclassic
times, Zacualpa has Thursday and Sunday markets and features the restored Iglesia del
Espíritu Santo, with an elegant facade featuring twin bell towers punctuated by a third
atop a curved central rise.
Next along this road is Joyabaj, which was practically leveled to the ground in the 1976
earthquake. It was rebuilt and is the main regional market center. It is one of three places
in Guatemala where you can witness the palo volador ritual in which two “dancers” twist