Puerto Quetzal: Private Mayan Culture, & Lunch Tour｜Guatemala

Head to the indigenous community of San Antonio Aguas Calientes. Receive an introduction to traditional Guatemalan cuisine while a shaman gives a talk on the Mayan worldview and performs a reading of the Nahual (mythical Mayan animal) for the guests.

The Chokojol Juyu Association is located in San Antonio Aguas Calientes. It was founded in February 2020 by three Kaqchiquel Maya women, who recognized the need to create a space where children could learn the art of the backstrap loom and the Kaqchiquel Mayan language—both of which were already being lost. Since then, our primary goal has been to preserve our culture, history, and identity. We currently have 18 students aged 10 to 17; our children pay nothing, everything is free for them. Thanks to foreign visitors, we’ve been able to open a physical store where community artisans can come to sell their pieces and receive a fair price for their work. We provide various jobs to community members—mostly women aged 40 and older—so they can support themselves. All of this is possible thanks to visits from foreign tourists.