San Andrés Itzapa

The road from Antigua to Chimaltenango continues beyond Jocotenango, ascending the Panchoy valley, past dusty farming villages, before a dirt track branches off to SAN ANDRÉS ITZAPA , one of the many villages badly hit by the 1976 earthquake. San Andrés is home to the cult of San Simón (or Maximón), the "evil saint" - a kind of womanizing and rapacious combination of Judas Iscariot and the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado - who is housed in his own pagan chapel. Despite San Andrés being just 18km from Antigua, few tourists visit this shrine, and you may feel less intrusive and more welcome here than at his other places of abode, which include Zunil and Santiago Atitlán. Uniquely in Guatemala, this San Simón attracts a largely ladino congregation and is particularly popular with prostitutes. To reach the saint's "house" ("Casa de San Simón") head for the central plaza from the dirt road into the village, turn right when you reach the church, walk two blocks, then up a little hill and you should spot street vendors selling charms, incense and candles. If you get lost, just about any village kid will take you there for a quetzal tip. You can only visit the saint between sunrise and sunset, as the Maya believe he sleeps at other times. Local stores stock candles and incense and there are also books on witchcraft for sale.