Antigua Guatemala Shopping Tips by Hopkid

Name of Shop: Mercado de Artesanias

Built next door to the main marketplace is this building which houses vendors of the varieties of Guatemalan-produced arts and crafts. You'll find all of the familiar Mayan handicrafts. The hand-woven textiles (blouses, pillow cases, place mats, napkins, etc.) are a highlight as are ceramics, jade, hammocks, etc. Be sure to take your time and check out all of the stalls as many have similar items and prices can vary. Then be sure to bargain hard for what catches your fancy. Prices may be better at the Mayan craft market outside the ruins of Iglesia El Carmen but there is a much larger variety of items here.

What To Buy: Guatamalan arts and crafts

What To Pay: Depends on how well you bargain!

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Theme: Local Craft
Address: 4a Calle Poniente
Directions: Immediately south of the Mercado Municipal on the west side of town
Website: http://www.artesaniasantiguaguatemala.com/

Name of Shop: Gigantes

This store is a one-stop shop for Guatamalan crafts at very reasonable prices. We found many gift items here for folks back home and even a couple of things for ourselves. Wood-carved masks and figures, ceramics, textiles, and metalwork are among the items for sale here. We saw a lot of items that we hadn't seen before as well. For ourselves we bought a small wood serving trey with a colorful textile under glass as the base, an oldish-looking ceramic pot, and a carving of Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals. I wasn’t sure if bargaining was OK here since it’s a store rather than a vendor stall so I didn’t bother and paid the listed prices. The fact that they were already reasonable made me feel like bargaining wasn’t really necessary here. Located across the street from the Iglesia de San Francisco.

What To Buy: All variety of Guatemalan-made arts and crafts

What To Pay: Varies but we found it to be very reasonable

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Theme: Local Craft
Phone: 502.7832.0685
Address: 7a Calle Oriente 18
Directions: On 7a Calle Oriente across the street from the Iglesia de San Francisco
Website: http://www.casadelosgigantes.com/

Name of Shop: Colibri

This is a slightly upscale home décor store with lots of textiles and some ceramics. You’ll see some of the same textile patterns on table cloths, napkins, etc. as in many craft stores throughout Guatemala but they do have some exclusive patterns that may catch your fancy. We have sets of place mats from this store that were given to us as gifts. We did likewise on our visit and purchased place mats for friends back home. Colibri also has a variety of clothes and some antique ceramic pots and plates.

What To Buy: Guatemalan crafts

What To Pay: Varies but can be a bit pricey although that goes with the quality of much of their merchandise

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Theme: Local Craft
Phone: 502.7832.5028
Address: 4a Calle Oriente 3B
Directions: On the south side of the street between 3a and 4a Avenida Norte

Name of Shop: Various Shops

Jade is native to Guatemala including many colors that aren't found anywhere else in the world including my favorite, black. Take the time to get educated on the types of colors, grades, where the jade comes from and to view the variety of artistic styles before deciding to purchase. Also do a scan of prices from shop to shop to be sure you're getting the best price. There are many jade factories and shops in Antigua all with very beautiful and creative jewelry, figurines, and artwork. Some of the shops include Jades S.A., Joyeria El Angel, and Jades Imperio Maya.

What To Buy: Jewelry, artwork, etc.

What To Pay: The sky's the limit!

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Theme: Jewelry
Address: Various locations

Name of Shop: Dona Maria Gordillo Dulces Tipicos

I put this in the shopping category because besides the large array of baked goods and sweets on offer here, they also have ceramics in the traditional Antiguan design. I purchased a small ceramic chicken as a present for my mother and resisted the temptation to purchase cookies as we still had a stash of champurradas from Panadaria San Antonio. But I'm guessing the goods here are pretty tasty. At least they looked really tasty!

What To Buy: Baked goods, sweets, ceramics

What To Pay: Varies

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Theme: Other
Address: 4a Calle Oriente No. 11
Directions: Between 2a and 3a Avenida Norte across the street from Hotel Aurora

Name of Shop: Casa Artes

This is THE antiques store in Antigua. If you're looking for vintage textiles then this is the Mother Lode! Casa Artes purchases all types of Mayan clothing directly from families who use them. If nothing else it's worth it to go in and get a history lesson on the variations in the design of the traditional women's blouse, the huipil. The staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. Prices are not low mind you. I did buy a woven men's shoulder bag from Nahuala ($60) which was significant since we had visited there earlier in our trip. But the inventory here is more than impressive. Besides the textiles they also have quite a variety of ceramics (bowls, pots, plates), some hundreds of years old, wooden and ceramic masks, and other indigenous artwork.

Seriously this is better than most of the musuems in town!

What To Buy: Vintage Guatemalan textiles, ceramics, masks, artwork

What To Pay: Big dough

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Theme: Antiques
Phone: 502.7832.0792
Address: 4a Avenida Sur No. 11
Directions: On the northeast corner of 4a Avenida Sur and 8a Calle Oriente
Website: http://www.casadeartes.com.gt

Name of Shop: Mercado Municipal

Just north of the Mercado de Artesanias is Antigua's general market. Unlike the small towns in the Highlands, every day is market day here. The market is sprawling outside and jam-packed on the inside where there are narrow aisles between stalls of kitchenware, luggage, shoes, jeans, all manner of food items, etc. I you need something, anything, and are willing to bargain for it, this is the place to go. Just to be among the organized chaos and the crowds is a great experience. Well for us it was anyway.

We went a bit overboard on our souvenir purchasing on this trip so we went to the market to buy an extra bag that we could use to take back our textiles. We were able to buy a soft-sided sports bag for $8.

What To Buy: You name it, they have it!

What To Pay: Bargain hard!

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Theme: Other
Address: 8a Avenida Norte
Directions: On the west side of town between 4a and 2a Calle Poniente

Name of Shop: Mayan Craft Market

Away from the craziness of the Mercado Municipal and with less overhead and a much lower rent (free?) than at the Mercado de Artesanias, local Mayans set up shop on the very wide street in front of the ruins of the Iglesia del Carmen. All the Mayan crafts you've seen elsewhere can be found here and at likely lower prices than in the shops of Antigua. Be sure to use your bargaining skills to get the best price!

What To Buy: Mayan textiles, masks, etc.

What To Pay: Depends on how well you bargain!

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Theme: Local Craft
Address: 3a Avenida Norte
Directions: On the northwest corner of 3a Avenida Norte and 3a Calle Oriente