Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
from Cancuén and an Olmec crystal figurine with decidedly Asian features. The museum
gets its name from a figurine ofa Mayan prince dressed in full regalia, including a quetzal-
feather headdress.
Finca Santa Margarita
Cobán has some of Guatemala's best coffee, so it's only fitting that you might have the op-
portunity to go behind the scenes and see the process of how the morning elixir makes it
fromabushtoyourBodum.TheDieseldorfffamily'sFincaSantaMargarita(3aCalle4-12
Zona 2, tel. 7951-3067, 8 A.M.-12:30 P.M. and 1:30-5 P.M. Mon.-Fri., 8 A.M.-noon Sat.,
$2.50) is a working coffee farm where excellent, 45-minute guided tours are available in
English or Spanish, thanks to a knowledgeable Guatemalan guide who once lived in New
York. You will get up-close and personal with the process governing the planting, picking,
roasting, packaging, and exporting of these wonderful beans. At the end of the tour, you're
treated to a cup (or two) of coffee fresh from the roaster and can buy a bag (or several) of
the farm's excellent coffee. The more exclusive “special” selection is a steal at just $5 per
pound.
Vivero Verapaz
Lovers of orchids will find nirvana at Vivero Verapaz (Carretera Antigua de Entrada a
Cobán, tel. 7952-1133, 9 A.M.-noon and 2-4 P.M. daily, $1.50). This wonderful nursery is
just outside of town and has several hundred species of orchids on display. The best time
of year to visit is between October and February, when many of the flowers are in bloom.
The national orchid show is held here in December and is reportedly magnificent. A guide
is on hand to show you around and will lend you a magnifying glass for viewing miniature
orchids. Guatemala's national flower, the rare
monja blanca,
can be seen here in season.
Otto Mittelstaedt, the original collector of the nursery's orchids, has died but the nursery
lives on. Vivero Verapaz is about a 40-minute walk from the central plaza, two kilometers
southwest. A taxi costs about $3.
Chixim Church
Much like the better-known church at Esquipulas, the church at Chixim attracts pilgrims
from all over Guatemala thanks to the presence of its supposedly miraculous Christ figure.
January 1st and 15th are the days of greatest visitor affluence, the latter being the day of
the Black Saint of Chixim. The walls of the room immediately left of the main altar are
chock-fullofplaquesinthanksgivingformiraclesascribedtoElSeñordeChixim.Outside,
the patio fronting the church affords a lovely panoramic vista of the Tactic valley.
