Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
baseball-size radishes. The cultivated plots here, as in neighboring Zunil, are irrigated by
canals from which farmers scoop out water with large shovel-like contraptions.
The town's yellow and blue church,
Iglesia de San Pedro,
dates to 1608 and is now
more of a tourist attraction with 90 percent of the local populace claiming conversion to
Evangelical Christianity. Evangelicals point to the town's prosperity and uncommonly rich
produceasevidenceofthetown'suniqueblessing.Itsannual
Festival de San Pedro y San
Pablo
takes place from June 27 to 29. Buses leave Xela's Minerva bus station every 15
minutes for Almolonga.
Justbelowthevillage,theroadpassesseveralhotspringsknownas
Los Baños
andpop-
ular with locals, though I can't bring myself to recommend them, as they are rather dilap-
idated and dirty, and there are better places to soak farther along the highway.
Zunil
A few kilometers farther along the same road is the spectacularly set town of Zunil. You'll
see the white
Iglesia de Santa Catarina
gleaming from a distance as it towers above the
tiled- and tin-roofed houses around it. Lovely mountains flank its surroundings. Zunil is
one of a handful of towns in Guatemala where there is still strong adherence to the wor-
ship of the
Maximón
idol, as in Santiago Atitlán. The idol's location is rotated yearly, but
it's easy to find out its whereabouts from any local resident, assuming the local children
don't first intercept you and offer their guiding services for a small tip. It's known locally
as San Simón and, unlike elsewhere, visitors here can actually pour liquor offerings down
theeffigy'sthroat. You'llprobablybechargedaround$1toseeit,moreifyouwanttotake
photographs.
Zunil's annual fiesta takes place on November 25.
Las Cumbres
About half a kilometer south of town is
Las Cumbres
(tel. 5399-0029,
www.ecosaunaslascumbres.com
,
7 A.M.-7 P.M. daily), a superb establishment harboring
steam baths, beautiful accommodations housed in quaint red-tiled-roof cottages with
mountain views, and a restaurant (all meals daily) serving mostly Guatemalan dishes but
also sandwiches and wine. Thermal pools were in the planning stages and may be up and
running by the time you read this. Its 11 rooms range $33-47 d and have nice wooden fur-
nishings with warm wool blankets, private bathrooms, cable TV, CD player, and plenty of
rusticcharm.Somehavetheirownin-roomhottubs.Ifyoudon'twanttostaybutjustwant
a steam bath, you can have a private sauna for $3.50. Room rates include sauna access.
There are also a squash court, pool table, and a small gym.
Fuentes Georginas
