San Antonio Agua Calientes

San Antonio Agua Calientes is a mainly Mayan town, very close to Antigua (a 20-30 minute and 3Q bus ride by la camioneta, or chicken bus - or, a 15 minute hitchhike by pickup truck which I did, although this is possibly not the brightest idea). You can tell you're arriving in town after going through Ciudad Vieja, turning off the highway, and seeing a very-Americanized "Welcome to San Antonio Agua Calientes" sign in classic green and yellow. The town itself is off-the-beaten-tourist track, and does not have much to see except for the Mayan culture and lifestyle. (On a side note, while there we saw five casket shops... hmm...) There is a very good Mayan market in the Parque Central which sells beautiful hand-woven Mayan goods and features many women at work; the precision of the stitching is otherworldly. Catch the bus back to Antigua on a different road up-the-hill from where you get off; ask the helpful locals if you get lost!