Cubulco

Cubulco is best visited for its annual fiesta. This is one of the few places where you can see the Palo Volador, a pre-conquest ritual in which men throw themselves from a 30m pole with a rope tied around their legs, spinning down towards the ground as the rope unravels, and hopefully landing on their feet. It’s as dangerous as it looks, particularly when you bear in mind that most of the dancers are blind drunk; every few years an inebriated dancer falls from the top of the pole to his death. The fiesta still goes on, though, as riotous as ever, with the main action taking place on July 25. If you’re in town at fiesta time be sure to taste the local chilate drink, made from corn and spices and served in fruit husks.