Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To get to the beaches, you'll have to cross the
Canal de Chiquimulilla.
The cheapest
crossing, if you're coming to Playa Paraío, is found by turning left when the main road
dead-ends at the canal and continuing for 100 meters. It should cost about $0.25 to make
the crossing. Local ferry boat operators will try to charge you $2 to cross closer to the end
of the main road.
East along the Pacific Coast Highway to the department of Escuintla and its capital of the
same name is Mazatenango, a coffee and sugarcane hub with little of interest for the inter-
national traveler.Ifyouneed tostopforabite toeat yourbest bet isPlaza Americas, anew
shopping center conveniently situated just off the Pacific Coast Highway outside the town
center. Choose from Pollo Campero, Sarita, Pizza Hut, and Burger King. There's even a
movie theater.
Escuintla department is in many ways the gateway to the Pacific Coast, as it is easily ac-
cessedfromGuatemalaCityandLaAntigua.Thedepartmentalcapitalisasomewhatshady
agglomeration andserves mostly asastopping offpoint onthe wayelsewhere. (Atoll road
circumvents the departmental capital, so it's no longer even necessary to pass through it.)
The department itself harbors the Pacific Coast's main ports, cruise ship terminal, and sev-
eral seaside attractions.
In and of itself, the rather nondescript town of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa has little to re-
commendit.Thereare,however,somenearbyarchaeologicalattractionsevidencingthein-
fluence of the Olmec culture and its expansion into coastal Guatemala from lowland Mex-
ico. They might be worth a stop if you are passing this way as you travel along the coast.
The sites, in the cane fields just outside of town, can be a bit difficult to reach and you'll
probably find yourself hiring a cab if you're coming from town on your own.
What you'll see here are the remains of the Late Classic Pipil culture, which flourished
here between A.D. 500 and 700. In 1880 more than 30 of the large stones found at the site
wereremoved,withnineofthembeingshippedofftoGermany.Foursetsofstonescanstill
be found on-site. Unless you are a die-hard fan of pre-Columbian culture, I don't suggest
traipsing through the cane fields to see them, as some of the highlights can be easily and
conveniently viewed from museums on two different farms occupying the original site. In
