Santo Tomas Church
Santo Tomas Church
4.5
About
Mayans enter through the front door, but others are relegated to the side door of this unusual 1540 church which combines Catholic and Mayan spiritual practices.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
25 within 5 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
325 reviews
Excellent
164
Very good
114
Average
41
Poor
5
Terrible
1
BRodrig
Hillsboro, OR43 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
We had an “authorized guide” (with a special guide vest) take us through both churches and the murals by the museum. It was totally worth the cost. She was very thorough and was able to answer all our questions. It makes more sense to go through the main church with someone explaining the Catholic and Mayan traditions held within and outside the church.
Written 16 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travelandfood
Singapore, Singapore339 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
Always a beautiful place to visit where catholic and ancient traditions collide. Last visited in 2010 and 13 years later does not fail to impress us with its location at the heart of the town. During the week, you can enjoy the scenery of many ladies selling flowers and during market days, it is vibrant with so many locals, tourists and shops. On some days you can enjoy fresh made tamales and atole at the shops that set up at the bottom of the stairs.
Written 2 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EstefBB
262 contributions
Jan 2019 • Family
Sunday is a very special day in Chichicastenango and the Church and surrounding Market are the big protagonists.
The Church was constructed in the 1500s during Spanish colonialism. It was apparently build on a Mayan sacred site.
To this day you can witness the syncretism practiced by the people and led by the Cofrades in very special rituals that take place right outside the Church and in front of the Calvario.
On the Church steps vendors sell flowers and rose petals and in the market stalls in front of the Church you can purchase candles to light inside the Church.
If you exit the Church to the right, there is a Dominican Monastery where the oldest version of the Popol Vuh was found.
The Church was constructed in the 1500s during Spanish colonialism. It was apparently build on a Mayan sacred site.
To this day you can witness the syncretism practiced by the people and led by the Cofrades in very special rituals that take place right outside the Church and in front of the Calvario.
On the Church steps vendors sell flowers and rose petals and in the market stalls in front of the Church you can purchase candles to light inside the Church.
If you exit the Church to the right, there is a Dominican Monastery where the oldest version of the Popol Vuh was found.
Written 7 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GregEng
Little Rock, AR32 contributions
July 2019 • Friends
A must see when in chichi. Very crowded on market days with LOTS of flowers and incense. Picturesque
Written 29 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AAS619
229 contributions
Dec 2012 • Friends
Santo Tomas Church is one of the more interesting places to visit. It was built over Mayan temple 400 yrs ago, but the 18 steps that you see today (each step is representing one month on the Mayan calendar) were preserved, and are the same ones that led into the temple.
It is a sacred Mayan place and as previously mentioned they still practice their faith, inside and outside the church.
Inside, the center is lined up with stone altars for Mayan ceremonies and rituals; left and right sides, and the main altar are the Catholic part . On the walls you will see paintings, and statues, now dark from the smoke.
Another meaningful fact: In18th Century, Dominican friar Francisco Ximenez found Popol Vuh on the church grounds. Popol Vuh is a structured set of texts of mytho-historical narratives of the Post Classic K'iche' kingdom in Guatemala's western highlands.
As a tourist enter the court yeard (to the right when facing the front of the church) then go inside using the side door on the lt hand side. Taking pictures inside the church is not allowed.
It is a sacred Mayan place and as previously mentioned they still practice their faith, inside and outside the church.
Inside, the center is lined up with stone altars for Mayan ceremonies and rituals; left and right sides, and the main altar are the Catholic part . On the walls you will see paintings, and statues, now dark from the smoke.
Another meaningful fact: In18th Century, Dominican friar Francisco Ximenez found Popol Vuh on the church grounds. Popol Vuh is a structured set of texts of mytho-historical narratives of the Post Classic K'iche' kingdom in Guatemala's western highlands.
As a tourist enter the court yeard (to the right when facing the front of the church) then go inside using the side door on the lt hand side. Taking pictures inside the church is not allowed.
Written 26 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luis F
Guatemala City, Guatemala123 contributions
Dec 2020
Severe, intriguing, blackened by centuries of smoke, this is a place to remember. It is like time traveling.
Written 29 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
colonial
County Galway, Ireland158 contributions
May 2019
This church needs to be painted and restored it is used as a loitering ground for vendors. Such a shame.
Written 15 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tangi1
Elizabeth, NJ762 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
We were sailing with Oceania Cruises and Santo Tomas was one of the ports of call. Unless you are a well seasoned traveler and/or speak some Spanish I would recommend a tour from the ship to the Mayan ruins or a Rio Dulce tour.
The taxi drivers out front offer 3 hour tour of the area for $50.00 each. Go around the side of the makeshift garage that houses local vendors and bargain with the English speaking dispatcher. We paid $30.total. The town is a small town with limited tourism. The church was the highlight. Well maintained but very worn. The worshipers were full of smiles.
The taxi drivers out front offer 3 hour tour of the area for $50.00 each. Go around the side of the makeshift garage that houses local vendors and bargain with the English speaking dispatcher. We paid $30.total. The town is a small town with limited tourism. The church was the highlight. Well maintained but very worn. The worshipers were full of smiles.
Written 23 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
onesweetgem
Sarasota, FL150 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
The Mayan people pray alongside the Catholics. Both religions are accepted. Church is dark from the many years of candles burning in the church! It is a must see while visiting Chichicastenango and well worth the visit!
Written 16 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James A
Washington DC, DC166 contributions
Feb 2019 • Friends
This beautiful living church has places where people perform traditional Mayan ceremonies in front of and inside the church. They had a great marimba band that did the music for the mass I attended.
Written 10 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing