Aguacatán Overview

By Christopher Minster

Located about two dusty hours by battered chicken bus from Huehue, Aguacatán is a small, traditional Maya village located in a warm, sunny valley. The women still wear their traditional huipiles and once they’re married begin wearing a distinctive blue-green head scarf (you’ll know it when you see it). The people still speak Aguateco, a timeless indigenous dialect.

It is mostly of interest to those who want to see a traditional native village and who don’t want to go up into the Quiché region. The only thing close to a tourist destination in Aguacatan is the Río San Juan, which springs out of the hillside about a mile or two outside of town. If you’re a gringo and you get off the bus, the local kids will assume that’s where you’re headed and offer directions. Or maybe they’ll throw rocks at you, according to their mood. Some visitors like to go there for the Sunday market, but be advised that you’re unlikely to find much in the way of handicrafts there: if you want a headdress or huipil from Aguacatán, you’ll probably have better luck in the Huehue market.

It is worth noting that while Aguacatan is picturesque, quaint town, the indigenous people are extremely closed to outsiders, almost to the point of hostility. The fact that the civil war in the 1980’s hit the area very hard probably didn’t help. If you want to go for the afternoon, look around, and maybe visit the river or market you’ll have no problem, but visitors that have stayed overnight have reported being harassed by drunks. Alcoholism is a particularly serious problem in Aguacatán, and it is not uncommon to see men (and occasionally women, too) passed out on the street or in a field. Women dressed in traditional clothes are unlikely to want their photo taken: be sure to be sensitive if taking such shots.