There’s a limited selection of Mayan ruins close enough to Antigua, Guatemala to be done as a day trip. (While some travel agencies offer Tikal trips in 1-day, I recommend going for 2… it’s a lot to take in, starting with an hour from the Guatemala City airport, an hour flight to Flores, and an hour to Tikal itself, not to mention wait time at the airport.) We had visited nearby Iximche a few years ago, and determined that Copán in neighboring Honduras was just a little too far for a single day outing. Mixco Viejo, restored to its original Kaqchikel name of Chuwa Nima’Ab’äj in 2013, is not a normal tourist destination – we were only found one travel agency in Antigua that offered visits. Since we had several family members interested in visiting, we hired a van and driver for the day.
The first thing we noticed as we headed to Chuwa Nima’Ab’äj was that San Juan Sacatepéquez, a city we drove through, specializes in furniture. Seriously, the number of billboards advertising furniture was amazing, echoed by the furniture stores as we drove through – the city specializes in wooden furniture. Having discussed it with friends after the trip, it appears to be the best place in the country to shop for quality, yet low-priced, furniture.
As we rode up the windy dirt road to the ruins, we noticed a couple food vendors at the entrance. Being a warmish day, several of us stopped for granizadas, which Google Translate will tell you means hail, but is more accurately shaved ice with flavors added. If you want something salty, request a lime granizada; other fruit flavors are sweet.
Like most tourist sites in Guatemala, there are different prices for locals (including foreign residents) and tourists, encouraging Guatemalans to explore their heritage. We visited on a holiday, so there were a decent number of locals at the site, several of whom hauled in coolers with lunch for their extended families (we were lazy – we left the cooler in the van), and the parking lot was full by the time we left after lunch. There were at most a handful of foreign tourists.
At some points of the day, there are guides available for tours; we didn’t notice one, but I also didn’t look for one. There were vendors inside the ruins as well, selling food, and more importantly on a hot day, cold water and flavored ice. And while a guide would have been nice, there were placards at assorted spots explaining the buildings and their layout within the site. Every placard appears in three languages – Kaqchikel, Spanish, and English.
These ruins are from the PostClassic Maya Civilization, having being founded in the 12th Century AD. The city was still inhabited, and was thought to be the capital of Poqomam Maya civilization when the Spanish invaded in the 1500s. As it turns out, it may have instead been the capital of the Chajoma Maya; there was some confusion when interpreting colonial records. The mountain-top location was highly defensible, so when the Spanish defeated the residents after a month-long siege, they burned the city and relocated the survivors.
The ruins themselves are in great condition for explorers, allowing you to climb a number of buildings, including some seriously steep stairs. There are two different ball courts – smaller than Chichen Itza’s (meant for teams), but larger than Tikal’s (designed for a 1-on-1 game). Depending on your interests, you could easily spend a day wandering through the scenic site. Whether you choose to climb the building or not, expect to walk a decent amount – there’s more to this site than you can see from the entrance. As with all archaeological sites, take nothing but photographs; leave nothing but footprints.