Guatemala Guide
Around Antigua
Jocotenango
The grimy small town of JOCOTENANGO, "place of bitter fruit", is set around a huge, dusty plaza where there's a magnificent, but weathered, dusty-pink Baroque church. In colonial times, Jocotenango was the gateway to Antigua, where official visitors would be met to be escorted into the city. Long notorious for its seedy bars, the town's main industries are coffee production and wood carving. There's an excellent selection of bowls and fruits in the family-owned Artesanías Cardenas Barrios workshop on Calle San Felipe, where they have been working at the trade for five generations.
Joco's principal attraction is 500m west of the plaza in the shape of the Centro La Azotea cultural centre (Mon– Fri 8.30am–4pm, Sat 10am–1pm; US$3.50, including tour in English or Spanish; 
www.centroazotea.com ). Casa K'ojom, which forms one half of the compound, is a purpose-built museum dedicated to Maya culture, especially music. The history of indigenous musical traditions is clearly presented from its pre-Columbian origins, through sixteenth-century Spanish and African influences – which brought the marimba, bugles and drums – to the present day, with audiovisual documentaries of fiestas and ceremonies. Other rooms are dedicated to the village weavings of the Sacatepéquez department and the cult of Maximón.. Next door, the Museo de Café is an extensive plantation dating from 1883, and offers the chance to look around a working organic coffee farm. All the technicalities of husking, sieving and roasting are clearly explained, and an interpretive trail leads through the bushes of the finca. If you're here in February or March when the coffee plants flower, there's a wonderfully fragrant scent in the air, a little like jasmine. Special minibuses (US$0.75 return) leave from Antigua's 4 Calle Oriente (just east of the plaza) hourly to the Centro La Azotea.
For a rustic place to stay in these parts, consider the 
Earth Lodge ( 
5664 0713 or 5613 6934, www.earthlodgeguatemala.com ; Price: Under $20), a spectacular rural retreat high in the hills above Jocotenango. It's about 7km northeast of Antigua, with stunning views of the Panchoy valley and its volcanoes, and run by a hospitable Canadian– American couple who have been in Guatemala for years. Accommodation options include solid, comfortable A-frame cabañas, a wood-cabin dorm (US$4 per bed), and two tree houses – the deluxe has the best vistas. Wholesome meals are served, with a communal dinner in the evenings. Book ahead at weekends and busy times; pick-ups from Antigua are offered.