San Francisco El Alto

On Fridays the town of San Francisco El Alto, on a hillside above the valley north of Quetzaltenango, holds a market that covers the whole of it: the plaza, the streets running off it, the church steps and the terraces below, packed with cloth, clothing, thread, plastic goods, produce, tools and everything else, sold mostly to Guatemalans rather than to visitors, which is why it is more interesting than the craft markets on the tourist circuit. At the top of the town, above everything else, is the animal market, where sheep, pigs, cattle, chickens and dogs change hands from dawn. It starts before first light and thins through the afternoon.

History

Before the Spanish conquest the K'iche' Maya community of Chuisiguán, "place on the precipice", stood on the site. The chronicler Francisco Antonio de Fuentes y Guzmán mentions the town in his Recordación Florida of 1689, counting 2,880 Maya inhabitants and 720 tributaries, and its people joined the revolt against excessive tribute that began in Santa María Chiquimula on 20 February 1820 (Wikipedia, San Francisco El Alto).

What you'll find

• A market filling a whole town - streets, plaza and terraces covered in stalls.
• The animal market at the top - livestock traded from before dawn.
• Cloth and thread stalls - the textile trade the town is known for.
• A market for locals - very little of it aimed at visitors.

When to go

Friday only, from before dawn through to the early afternoon. Half a day, arriving as early as possible. Other days the town is quiet.

Practical notes

It is Friday or nothing. It is extremely crowded and pickpocketing happens; carry little. The animal market is a livestock market with the noise, smell and handling that implies. Photography of people needs asking.

Nearby

San Andres Xecul is south; Momostenango lies east.