After spending time in Panajachel, we drove an hour and a half further north to the town of Quetzaltenango, where we spent another two days. This town is more commonly known as Xela.
We stayed at the Hotel del Campo outside of Xela. It was old and dreary, but it was clean and the price was right...really cheap!
Saturday morning we drove into Xela and walked around the town square.
This building housed several different restaurants.
Taken from Xela town square.
We saw quite a few shoe shine "shops" set up around the plaza. Every town we've visited in Guatemala seems to have shoe shine boys. They are usually young boys or sometimes teens, but these in Xela were older men. It was sobering to think these men have probably been shining shoes their whole lives.
The cathedral. There was a Catholic confirmation taking place while we were visiting. There were Mayans everywhere, dressed in their very best.
One of the girls who participated in the confirmation carrying the gifts she received in the basket on her head. She also had a large bundle in her hand.
Mother and daughters wearing the native dress of Xela.
These three ladies are modeling traditional hair braiding. I think it must be a dying tradition, as I've only seen older ladies wearing their hair in this fashion.
The old part of town consists of narrow, crooked, one-way, cobblestone streets.
We stayed at the Hotel del Campo outside of Xela. It was old and dreary, but it was clean and the price was right...really cheap!
Saturday morning we drove into Xela and walked around the town square.
This building housed several different restaurants.
Taken from Xela town square.
We saw quite a few shoe shine "shops" set up around the plaza. Every town we've visited in Guatemala seems to have shoe shine boys. They are usually young boys or sometimes teens, but these in Xela were older men. It was sobering to think these men have probably been shining shoes their whole lives.
The cathedral. There was a Catholic confirmation taking place while we were visiting. There were Mayans everywhere, dressed in their very best.
One of the girls who participated in the confirmation carrying the gifts she received in the basket on her head. She also had a large bundle in her hand.
Mother and daughters wearing the native dress of Xela.
These three ladies are modeling traditional hair braiding. I think it must be a dying tradition, as I've only seen older ladies wearing their hair in this fashion.
The old part of town consists of narrow, crooked, one-way, cobblestone streets.
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