Sololá

Perched on a natural balcony overlooking the lake, SOLOLÁ is a fascinating place, ignored by the majority of travellers. In common with only a few other towns, it has parallel indígena and ladino governments and is probably the largest Maya town in the country, with the vast majority of the people still wearing traditional costume.

The town itself isn't much to look at: a wide central plaza with a recently restored clock tower on one side and a modern church on the other. However, its Friday market is one of Central America's finest - a mesmeric display of colour and commerce. From as early as 5am the plaza is packed, drawing traders from all over the highlands, as well as thousands of local Sololá Maya, the women covered in striped red cloth and the men in their outlandish "space cowboy" shirts, woollen aprons and wildly embroidered trousers. There's another smaller market on Tuesday. Another interesting time to visit Sololá is on Sunday, when the cofradres , the elders of the Maya religious hierarchy, parade through the streets in ceremonial costume to attend the 10am Mass.