Guatemala Guide
The western highlands
Momostenango
The small, isolated Momostenango is the centre of wool production in the highlands, and Momostecos travel throughout the country peddling their blankets, scarves and rugs. Years of experience have made them experts in the hard sell and given them a sharp eye for tourists. The wool is also used in a range of traditional costumes, including the short skirts worn by the men of Nahualá and San Antonio Palopó as well as the jackets of Sololá. The ideal place to buy Momostenango blankets is in the Sunday market, which fills the town's two plazas, or the smaller Wednesday occasion.
A visit will also give you a glimpse of Momostenango's other feature: its rigid adherence to Maya tradition. Opposite the entrance to the church, you may see people making offerings of incense and alcohol on a small fire, muttering their appeals to the gods. Momostenango's religious calendar, like that of only one or two other villages, is still based on the 260-day Tzolkin year – made up of thirteen twenty-day months – which has been in use since ancient times.
If you decide to stay for a day or two, you can also take a walk to los riscos, a set of bizarre sandstone pillars on the northern edge of town, or beyond to the hot springs of Pala Chiquito about 2km further on. Throughout the day weavers work at the springs washing and shrinking their blankets – it's always best to go early, before most people arrive and the water is discoloured by soap.
Hospedaje Paglóm (Price: $8-12) on 1 Calle has cleanish, basic rooms, and serves good grub. You'll find more comedores on the main plaza. Banrural bank, 1 Calle and 1 Avenida, has an ATM and changes cash and traveller's cheques.
Buses run here from the Minerva terminal in Quetzaltenango, passing through Cuatro Caminos and San Francisco el Alto on the way, every 45 minutes from 7am (1hr 15min). The last bus returns at around 5pm. On Sunday, special early-morning buses leave Quetzaltenango every thirty minutes from 6am, some stopping at the rotunda.