page_title: Quiché Department
section_title: Tourism
hierarchical_section_title: Quiché Department / Tourism
context_page_description: Quiché is a department of Guatemala. It is in the heartland of the K'iche' people, to the north-west of Guatemala City. The capital is Santa Cruz del Quiché.
context_section_description: Places of interest in the department include the town of Chichicastenango and the ruins of Q'umarkaj. The department has several pre-colonial archeological sites, including Q'umarkaj (near Santa Cruz del Quiché), Pascual Abaj (in Chichicastenango), Cerro de San Andrés (in San Andrés Sajcabajá), Chutixtiox (near Sacapulas), Los Cerritos and La Laguna (in Canillá). Most of these sites are used as ceremonial centers in the Maya religion.
  A regional museum can be found in Chichicastenango and Nebaj.
  Though not as well known as the Santo Tomás church in Chichicastenango most other towns in the department have catholic churches dating from the colonial era.
  The Visis Cabá biosphere reserve (450 km²) is the only protected natural reserve in El Quiché. It is located in the North of Chajul, on the communal lands of the Ixil communities. The creation of protected natural reserves is being considered for El Amay in Chicamán and La Vega del Zope in Chinique.
caption: Chichicastenango Market, 1996
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