SOCIAL TOURISM

CULTURE & GASTRONOMY

Vanushka, la gitana que murió de amor. || Vanushka, the gypsy who dead of love.

Vanushka, la gitana que murió de amor. || Vanushka, the gypsy who dead of love.

Vanushka, the gypsy who dead of love.

This legend started in Quetzaltenango and it is the history of a beautiful gypsy called vanushka Cárdenas , this lady arrived to Quetzaltenango with a circus from Hungary.

As says the legend, someday the governor´s son went to see the spectacle in the circus and he, immediately, was fascinated with the beauty of the gypsy and his spectacle where she tamed big animals. Usually this lady needed help from someone in the audience to conclude the act and this guy decide to be brave and he was who help the gypsy. After this strange meeting , he started visiting her many, in secret, and for the result they started and passionate love.

When they was in love, they realized their love was prohibited, that was because the governor and vanushka´s father refused.

Knowing the seriously of the relationship between them, The governor decided to send her son to Spain, and this decision was devastating to the gypsy. As the legend says, she cried and cried until his heart stopped beating. But since then and from his grave she helps people who ask her to find his/her lost love.

His grave is located in the Quetzaltenango´s cemetery and is visited for many people from all the country, usually young people who go to ask for love, all year this grave is full of flower, candles and people write over the grave for their love.

Specially in “Día de los muerto” people from a lot of places come to Quetzaltenango and visit the cemetery to bring her some flowers…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukmyv27B0PI

Chichicastenango, a colorful market! || Chichicastenango, a colorful market!

Chichicastenango, a colorful market! || Chichicastenango, a colorful market!

Chichicastenango is one of the most common places to visit in Guatemala. And, there is a really good reasons to do that, actually is more than one reason….

Market day
Market in Guatemala is full of colors…

Let me tell you that Chichicastenango has the lucky to have the Guatemala’s largest and most colorful indigenous market. Stalls and blankets are set up on the plaza and around streets; also is easy to find fruits, vegetables,cloth, all kind of textiles and much much more…
Is easy to arrive to Chichicastenango, we are going to leave from Quetzaltenango in the bus, and approximately two and a half hours is going to take us to arrive this wonderful market.
You will see the big difference between other cities to this marvellous mayan town.
Following the history of Guatemala, in Chichicastenango you can see the fusion between mayan religion and catholicism. History says when the conquistadors came to Guatemala, they tried to force indigenas to change their religion, so they destroy their altars to construct a church. But mayan people was convinced to the mayan religion and they, even in a catholic church, they get into the church and trust on their Gods and they ask, inside catholic church, for their familia, agriculture, nature and more.
All things we cannot see in Quetzaltenango, Catholicism is stronger and people forget and stoped believing in mayan culture as was in the past.

Still we recomend you, if you are planing to visit Guatemala, you would contact us to organice all you trip or you should take Spanish Classes to know some Spanish before arriving here.

Just clic on this «Yessika Spanish On-line»

Market Day
Guatemalan market is full of vegetables, fruits, flowers and more…

Trek to Chicabal Lagoon

Trek to Chicabal Lagoon

As always we say, Guatemala has a lot of culture, traditions and nature to share with people from all over the world. But Quetzaltenango, our second more important city in the country has a lot of nature and culture on each small village, so now we have the trek to “Chicabal Lagoon” . This is a volcano but in the crater you will see a lagoon, this is magic and the mysticism.

I you like to have a contact with nature, this is the perfect “little volcano” you can climb, you can use this as a practice, because this is no to hard to climb, so is prefect for the first time to climb a mountain or volcano.

Travel & health is now traveling to this wonderful volcano, all surrounding areas are full of forest and has a special touch of mysticism, because this reserve is us for ceremonial activities by the Mayan culture.

Once we arrived to “San Martin Chile Verde” start the adventure, this little town is door to the volcano, we walk around three hour (always depending on the people) now we are traveling with a old man with his daughter and they want to enjoy the nature, forest, birds etc.. So, we decide to walk slowly but people can arrive to the lagoon in two hours.

Eco tourism in Guatemala
Guatemala is full of nature and culture!

When you arrive to Chicabal lagoon you will reach the most peaceful place you can reach,. This is important; in the lagoon is not allowed to touch the water, to swim or to take a bath, because this area is sacred, Mayan people comes here to make ceremonies to pray for raining, , nature, peace, agriculture etc… so, if you are in contact with the water of the lagoon something bad is going to happen to you ( is the history) but, is important to respect all beliefs and this religion is carefully with nature.

For sure, this trek is full of unforgettable moments for us and for our friend who are join us at the agency, Travel & Health is located on Quetzaltenango, interior Entremundos Building. Here we have all information about our treks to different places, communities and reserves around Quetzaltenango and all Guatemala.

We try to focus on discover routs or paths that few people know, this is why we want you to join us on our great adventure.