Chichi Cemetery
Chichi Cemetery
4.5
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All the tombs are above ground at this cemetery which marks graves in a variety of ways, some with brightly colored miniature churches and others as mounds with name-bearing crosses or piles of fire-blackened rocks.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
234 reviews
Excellent
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Very good
89
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20
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Paul V
Calgary, Canada288 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
The central cemetery is at the bottom of a hill, easy to get to from the main market area. As November 1 was approaching, lots of families were there repainting the tombs. Beautiful colours, tombs and even a replica of a Mayan temple. Lots of people with vendors selling ice-cream. Strange layout. Whereas some graves were nicely laid out along lanes, some of them had been dug wherever there was place. Graves were very close together. Some Mayan ceremonies (we did not make any pictures out of respect). It is always interesting to see how different cultures deal with the dead and the upcoming day of the dead is an opportunity for people to affirm their beliefs.
Written October 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Deangallagher
15 contributions
I don't normally do reviews on attractions but seeing as though I'm starting to view other reviews about attractions I thought I'd better pay my way...
The problem with the trip advisor app is that it gives you a very wrong information about the distance the Chichi Cemetery is from Panajachel. The app says 9 kilometers. The reality is that it's an hour and a half away. Lucky we didn't weren't successful getting a tuk tuk. It's a long way away, it's at altitude and stays quite cold and damp most of the year.
Tips:
Wear jeans and something warmish as it gets very cool.
Go on a Thursday or a Sunday as these are the market days. The long trip to Chichi would probably not be worth it just for the cemetery.
Get a guide. They are all over the place, they wear official vests and have identification. Our guy Sebastian was really helpful and took us where we wanted and made our experience - especially in the cemetery much richer.
The cemetery itself is pretty interesting - not only for the unique colourful memorial tombs but because of the activity in the cemetery itself.
We witnessed Mayan priest ceremonies all over the place but most interestingly, we witnessed family members preparing for burials latter in the day. They were basically just digging out their grave site in readiness for a new casket. What this meant in reality was that they had to exhume the skeletons of the previously buried (in this case it was grandma who was buried in 2010) and pop them on the edge of the grave so they as made room for aunty who was going to be buried later that day. Turns out that they take grandma, and all the other remains hey find and pit them in the casket with Aunty. This continues through the generations with the casket continuing to get a bit bigger with each burial to fit in the remains of those buried before.
It was pretty weird. They had no problem with us coming and making a closer inspection - even jokingly (I hope) that if we want to we could buy grannies skull off them as a souvenir.
I've got pics of this gravesite experience but won't post them. Instead I'm opting to show you the colourful tombs.
The problem with the trip advisor app is that it gives you a very wrong information about the distance the Chichi Cemetery is from Panajachel. The app says 9 kilometers. The reality is that it's an hour and a half away. Lucky we didn't weren't successful getting a tuk tuk. It's a long way away, it's at altitude and stays quite cold and damp most of the year.
Tips:
Wear jeans and something warmish as it gets very cool.
Go on a Thursday or a Sunday as these are the market days. The long trip to Chichi would probably not be worth it just for the cemetery.
Get a guide. They are all over the place, they wear official vests and have identification. Our guy Sebastian was really helpful and took us where we wanted and made our experience - especially in the cemetery much richer.
The cemetery itself is pretty interesting - not only for the unique colourful memorial tombs but because of the activity in the cemetery itself.
We witnessed Mayan priest ceremonies all over the place but most interestingly, we witnessed family members preparing for burials latter in the day. They were basically just digging out their grave site in readiness for a new casket. What this meant in reality was that they had to exhume the skeletons of the previously buried (in this case it was grandma who was buried in 2010) and pop them on the edge of the grave so they as made room for aunty who was going to be buried later that day. Turns out that they take grandma, and all the other remains hey find and pit them in the casket with Aunty. This continues through the generations with the casket continuing to get a bit bigger with each burial to fit in the remains of those buried before.
It was pretty weird. They had no problem with us coming and making a closer inspection - even jokingly (I hope) that if we want to we could buy grannies skull off them as a souvenir.
I've got pics of this gravesite experience but won't post them. Instead I'm opting to show you the colourful tombs.
Written February 2, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
math1482
Dordrecht, The Netherlands253 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
After leaving the hubbub of the Mercado and ear-shattering noises of Easter festivities downtown, it was a short walk to the cemetery situated on a hill. Not a lot of people here, so it was a nice little walk along the colorful graves. In the middle there is a spot where locals perform there rituals for the dead under a roof, the whole place is blackened by all the burnt incense and pine needles that cover the graves. A nice and quiet spot for one who wishes to escape the busy marketplace
Written May 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AAS619
229 contributions
Dec 2012 • Friends
Chichicastenango Cemetery is certainly worth visiting. You can see it from far, perched above town like a colorful town on its own. The admission is free. We passed multiple spots where Mayan rituals were taking place, with burning incense and candles. Chicken feathers were scattered everywhere, and our INGUAT guide said that chickens are used for offerings.
The catholic tombs are painted in beautiful bright colors. We learned that families re-paint the tombs every year in a different color. Pretty amazing and makes total sense why they all look like new. If you are visiting Chichi on Nov 1st (Day of the dead) you will see families flying kites, and having picnics next to the graves of the loved ones.
Don’t miss, and be respectful of the smaller and less impressive graves in the form of piles of dirt with cross at the head. Some of them are sadly washed away by rain, and not much is left. Pretty painful proof of extreme class differences. People who were buried there and their families had no money for anything more than about 50 Q, while the big mausoleum like tombs can go for several thousand Q.
The catholic tombs are painted in beautiful bright colors. We learned that families re-paint the tombs every year in a different color. Pretty amazing and makes total sense why they all look like new. If you are visiting Chichi on Nov 1st (Day of the dead) you will see families flying kites, and having picnics next to the graves of the loved ones.
Don’t miss, and be respectful of the smaller and less impressive graves in the form of piles of dirt with cross at the head. Some of them are sadly washed away by rain, and not much is left. Pretty painful proof of extreme class differences. People who were buried there and their families had no money for anything more than about 50 Q, while the big mausoleum like tombs can go for several thousand Q.
Written January 24, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
onesweetgem
Sarasota, FL150 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
Don’t go to Chichicastenango without visiting this cemetery l. It is so colourful and interesting. Many of the mausoleums are old while recent people are also buried there. It is worth the walk to see.
Written February 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James A
Washington DC, DC166 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
The cemetary is very vibrant and colorful with many different types of markers. I wish our US cemeteries were like this.
Written February 10, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AdventureSeeker75
Paris, France137 contributions
Sep 2018 • Friends
If you're in Chichi, this is absolutely an interesting experience! Take a stroll through years of Mayan history - observe how families change, mourn the death of the youngest members to perish, watch a Mayan priest perform a prayer ritual with a believer. It's all really interesting - not to mention the fact that the tombs/crypts are painted to match the homes of the families so the dead remember where to go.
But be prepared as well because not all graves as as beautiful as these. There are many, many, many of the poorer people who cannot be buried in such beautiful surrounding - their graves are mounds of dirt with meager headstones.
If possible, try to go on a guided tour so you can be told stories about the location, it's people and their history. It's an interesting experience!
But be prepared as well because not all graves as as beautiful as these. There are many, many, many of the poorer people who cannot be buried in such beautiful surrounding - their graves are mounds of dirt with meager headstones.
If possible, try to go on a guided tour so you can be told stories about the location, it's people and their history. It's an interesting experience!
Written September 16, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tzvika F
Tel Aviv, Israel76 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
A very nice and colorful cemetery. You can also see local ceremonies people are doing to request things from their ancestors. A mix of Maya and Christianity.
Written March 1, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
maxible
Jerusalem, Israel45 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
Colorful tombs and mausoleums of all shapes and sizes alongside simple earthen burial mounds. Two installations where offerings to Mayan deities/Catholic saints are burnt. go to the other side of the cemetery and down the hill to see the monument built to mark the end of the 13th baktun (12/21/2012) when the world was supposed to end. No pretense of Catholic syncretism here - pure indigenous religion.
Written January 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vmimartins
Guimaraes, Portugal1,532 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
The colorful Mayam cemeteries where every color has a meaning.
The people is buried and their tomb are colored based on the person’s family status.
It a local tradition that is kept alive...
The people is buried and their tomb are colored based on the person’s family status.
It a local tradition that is kept alive...
Written September 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I would say less than a mile but going there you will be negotiating a down hill and the pavement may not be friendly in stretched. Coming back, you are walking up the hill which is kind of steep and there is traffic both ways.
Written October 21, 2018
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