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NEBAJ
9 000 habitants

Perchés sur les hauteurs des Cuchumatanes, se trouvent le village maya Ixil de Nebaj et les localités voisines, Chajul et Cotzal. Le paysage est d'une beauté époustouflante et les habitants, qui vivent à l'écart des influences télévisuelles et citadines, préservent avec fierté leur mode de vie ancestral. Les femmes de Nebaj portent de superbes huipiles ; leur artisanat, essentiellement textile, est magnifique.
La situation de Nebaj, dans ce repaire montagneux, fut tout à la fois une bénédiction et son contraire. Les Espagnols éprouvèrent des difficultés à conquérir le village et, lorsqu'ils y parvinrent, ils décimèrent les habitants. Plus récemment, la guérilla ayant fait de la région une base d'opérations, l'armée a adopté d'inqualifiables mesures pour la déloger. Nombre de petits villages ont été anéantis et les survivants regroupés dans des "hameaux stratégiques".
Les voyageurs viennent à Nebaj pour le paysage, la culture locale, l'artisanat, le marché (jeudi et dimanche) et pour la fête annuelle de la deuxième semaine d'août. Une fois à Nebaj, une agréable promenade s'offre à vous : quittez le village par la route de Chajul. Après 10 a 15 minutes de marche, vous atteignez un pont qui enjambe une petite rivière. Tournez à gauche juste avant et suivez, pendant 45 minutes/1 heure, une petite route de gravillons qui longe la rivière.

Vous passerez devant plusieurs cascades avant d'arriver à une grande chute d'eau de 25 m de hauteur.

Où se loger et se restaurer
La plus connue, la Pensión Las Tres Hermanas, demande 1 $US pour un lit et le même prix pour un repas. Aucune pancarte ne l'indique, mais les enfants du village vous y conduiront à votre descente du bus. L'Hospedaje de la Esperanza revient à 2,50 $US la nuit, avec supplément pour les serviettes de toilette, l'eau chaude, etc. Un nouvel hôtel, plus cher mais très agréable, vient d'ouvrir. Enfin, la Pensión Las Gemelitas ou l'Hotel Ixil peuvent également vous accueillir.

Comment s'y rendre
Les bus en provenance de Santa Cruz del Quiché, Huehuetenango, Sacapulas et Cobán desservent Nebaj. Des camions offrent également un passage pour un prix équivalent.
De Cobán, vous devrez changer plusieurs fois de bus : il faut 5 heures pour atteindre Uspantán, 3 heures d'Uspantán à Sacapulas et 2 heures 30 de Sacapulas à Nebaj. Il est plus facile d'atteindre Nebaj au départ de Huehuetenango ou de Santa Cruz del Quiché, via Sacapulas, les bus étant plus fréquents.

NEBAJ
Population 9000

High among the Cuchumatanes lie the Ixil Maya village of Nebaj and its neighboring villages of Chajul and Cotzal. The scenary is breathtakingly beautiful, and the local people, remote from the cultural influences of TV and modern urbanity, proudly preserve their ancient way of life. Nebaj women wear very beautiful huipiles, and they make excellent handcrafts, mostly textiles.

Nebaj's location in this mountain fastness has been both a blessing and a curse. The Spaniards found it difficult to conquer, and they wreaked destruction on the inhabitants when they did. In recent years guerrilla forces made the area a base of operations, and the army took strong measures to dislodge them. Many small villages were destroyed, with their surviving inhabitants being herded into "strategic hamlets," as in the Vietnam War.

Travelers come to Nebaj for the scenery, the local culture, the excellent handcrafts, the market (Thursday and Sunday) and, during the second week in August, the annual festival.

If you're in Nebaj, consider taking this pleasant walk. Leave Nebaj on the road heading to Chajul. After walking 10 or 15 minutes, you'll reach a bridge over a small river. Just before the bridge, turn left onto a gravel road and follow the river. Walking downriver for 45 minutes to an hour, you'll pass several small waterfalls before reaching a large waterfall about 25 meters high.

Places to Stay & Eat

Pensión Las Tres Hermanas is the best known lodging, charges US$1 for a bed and the same price for a meal. There's no sign, but local children will bring you here from the bus. The Hospedaje de la Esperanza charges US$2.50 per night, but they also charge extra for bathroom tissue, hot water and so on. A new hotel in Nebaj is more expensive but very pleasant. Other alternatives include the Pensión Las Gemelitas and the Hotel Ixil.

Getting There & Away

Buses come to Nebaj from Santa Cruz del Quiché, Huehuetenango, Sacapulas and Cobán. Pickup trucks also provide transport, at a fare equivalent to that of the bus.

Coming from the Cobán side, you have to change buses several times - it's about five hours from Cobán to Uspantán, Three hours from Uspantaán to Sacapulas, and 2 ½ hours from Sacapulas to Nebaj. It's easier to reach Nebaj from Huehuetenango or Santa Cruz del Quiché, going via Sacapulas, as buses are more frequent.



Fuente: Lonely Planet: Central America on a Shoestring. Australia 1997.

HIKES FROM NEBAJ

Several spectacular hikes into the cuchumatanes make good daytrips from Nebaj.



ACUL. This challenging road hike leads to the village of Acul and the cheese farm Hacienda San Antonio. From the police station on the parque, head west past Comedor Irene and down the hill. Cross the bridge and follow the main road. After 15 minutes the main road veers left, but you'll want to continue straight over a small concrete bridge on a rougher and wider road. After about 30 to 45 minutes of hiking through corn fields and rolling cow pastures, turn right, eschewing the smaller straight path. Soon after, the path begins to switch back and forth. Along the way, enjoy views of the town and valley below. About an hour into the hike, the path flattens out and runs past a long, thin field. At the end of the field, take the well - worn path to the right (the path to the left will get you there too, it's just longer). As you descend into another valley, the views are superb. After 10 to 15 minutes, you'll go around a bend in the hillside and the village of Acul will come into sight below. Follow the road through Acul with the fields on the left and the village on the right; the road gently curves right past a small, white-washed church with a blue door and pink trim. About 10 minutes up the same road on the left is the Hacienda San Antonio. Set in a picturesque pasture with a forested hillside rising behind it, the finca looks fresh out of the Swiss alps. The friendly folks inside will show you a room filled with circular blocks of fine Swiss cheese produced on the premises (Q30 per lb.). The surrounding valley is scenic-perfect for a picnic. There are small tiendas in the village that sell drinks and snacks. Allow three to five hours for the whole trip and try to set out early in the morning when the air is cool and the skies are clear. While this hike is indeed beautiful, note that you can catch a bus to Acul along the same road you hike on.

LA PISTA DE ATZUMAL. A hike to the old military airfield in the tiny town of Atzumal provides a first-hand glance at the effects of the area's volatile history. Atzumal is an example of one of the model villages, built partly by foreign volunteers in the 80s, used to house displaced Ixil families after their houses were razed during the war. The fresh new homes contrast with the traditional lifestyle of their inhabitants. At the top of town is the old military airfield, a barren and silent trip of ground surrounded by a minefield used to ward off guerillas. The minefield has been detonated, leaving the landscape awkwardly uneven-symbolic of a bruised country and people. Watch out for barbed wire.

From the church in town, follow the road to Chajul until you reach the Quetzal gas station, where you'll want to take the left fork. When this paved road ends quickly, make a left and then the immediate right onto the dirt road heading down the hill. After following this for about 30 to 45 minutes, you'll come to the only junction (at the tall Feliz Viaje sign); take the right fork down the slope. After another 45 minutes or so on this road, you'll ascend into the village. Once the road flattens at the top of the hill pass a couple of houses and tiendas and then make a left onto the path just past a blue-paint pastelería. At the end of the path make a right and then a left. You should now see the airfield in front of you (anyone in town can probably also direct you to the airfield, or la pista).

LAS CASCADAS DE PLAT. A less rigorous walk is to Las Cascadas de Plata. The largest Cascada (Waterfall), one to 1 and a half hours from Nebaj, is a jagged face or rock carved out of a tree-lined hillside; the water here divides into many small cascades, making a beautiful little display. The walk to the fall is a lovely leisurely stroll through the pastures and valleys surrounding Nebaj,. From the church in town, follow the road to Chajul north until you reach the first bridge. Follow the road that veers left just before it; you'll stay on the left and some small rapids-like waterfalls on the right. Continuing on, the road soon curves sharply to the left and drops steeply downhill to the largest fall. Allow at least 2 and a half hours for the round-trip, more if you plan to liger on your walk.

CEMETERIES. An even easier, 15 minutes walk is to the three cemeteries overlooking town. The views are nice and the setting tranquil and subdued. Walk west from the parque past Comedor Irene and across the bridge at the bottom of the hill. Go straight for about 30m, then take your first left. Follow this road for about 50m, taking your first right. Continue on this road; when it turns into pavement, you've reached the junction of the town's three cemeteries. Try walking uphill to your right to the large green-and-white entrance gate. This is the oldest cemetery, built in 1913. The views of town are best from the entrance gate, but a quick walk through the cemetery is also interesting.


Source: Council Travel. Let's Go Central America. The World's Bestselling Budget Travel Series. Revised for 2001.



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