Travel Guide Chiantla

On the threshold of Los Cuchumatanes, 7 kilometers northeast of Huehuetenango, stands Chiantla, famous for its beautiful image of the Virgen de Candelaria - the name given to Mary when she appeared to two indigenous Guanches from Tenerife, Canary Islands. Originally from Spain, this unique silver piece is said to have many miracles to its credit. Every year it attracts pilgrims, especially on February 2, which symbolizes the coming of Jesus Christ to the Temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary This eighteenth-century representation is kept in the Catholic church of the village, which was originally a Dominican monastery. One of the murals in the church, dating from the 1950s, shows Pedro de Almengor in front of the silver mine, which, according to legend, he discovered after promising the Virgin Mary a cloak made of this metal if she helped him in his quest for wealth.Chiantla is also characterized by the realization of handicrafts in bronze, bells and crucifixes in the lead. Another specialty is leather craftsmanship, used for equestrian items such as harnesses and saddles, but also machete sheaths, sombreros, or bags. In addition, visitors usually stop in the municipality on their way to the popular Mirador Juan Diéguez Olaverri, a dozen kilometers to the north on National Road 9. Nestled at 3,090 meters above sea level, it offers a panoramic view of the Huehuetenango Valley and the Sierra Madre.