Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tunity to get out and meet the people who create these singular works of art. The trip costs
$13perperson,withaminimum oftwopeople,andcanbecombined withavisittonearby
waterfalls.
ThepavingoftheroadtoCotzalhasopenedituptotourismandthereisnowatleastone
decent hotel in town.
El Maguey
(tel. 7765-6199, $12 d), two blocks north of the plaza,
has clean, basic rooms with TV and shared bathrooms. The hotel's eatery offers good set
menus for about $2.50. Enterprising weavers may also offer you a place to stay.
Chimel and Santa Avelina Waterfalls
Some pretty waterfalls out this way make a good day hike, 10 and 12 kilometers from
town, though there are not as of yet any outfitters to take you here. You can take pickups
or minibuses to the villages of Chichel and Santa Avelina, from where it's a much shorter
walktothefalls.Thefirstwaterfall, nearChichel,isChimel,whichcascades downarocky
cliff into a small river. There are some tables and benches in the surrounding grassy hill-
side beneath the falls and it makes a pleasant place for a picnic. You can drive part of the
wayonaruggeddirtroad,butyou'llfindyourselfhikingthelasthalfmileorsotothefalls
through beautiful pastureland.
The second waterfall is reached by going a further two kilometers along the main road
outofCotzaltothevillageofSantaAvelina.Thetownisbuiltonahillsideandifyougoto
the base of this hillside via the main road, you'll find the small
Tienda Lux
on the outskirts
oftown. Youwalk straight uphill from here ona very steep trail, turning left onto a smaller
footpath, which eventually traverses cornfields for about 20 minutes to the falls. The water
tumbles over a rock that is pitched just over the edge ofthe cliffand produces quite a bit of
spray. There's a small tile-roofed changing room by the pool at the base of the falls and a
friendly caretaker whowill collect a $1admission price. Youcan ask any ofthe locals how
to get here and they can point you in the general direction.
About 15 kilometers northeast of Nebaj, Chajul is a picturesque collection of quaint adobe
houses with tiled roofs. Of the three Ixil Triangle towns, it certainly has the most tradition-
al feel, though the paved road to Nebaj has many traditionalists fearing the end is near for
one of the country's most pleasantly isolated villages. In any case, it still offers spectacu-
lar weavings you'll undoubtedly see everywhere. Market days are Tuesdays and Fridays,
though on any given day sellers will most certainly find you to offer their wares in brilliant
hues of red and blue embroidered with animals and plants.
