Huehuetenango Frontier

From the El Mirador [1] lookout, the road continues along the 3,300 meter (11,000-foot) Paquix plateau, characterized by smooth, rounded hills with scant vegetation that conjure images of the Peruvian Andes or Alaska.

Windblown grasses, black granite rocks, sturdy maguey plants, and herds of sheep pepper the surrounding countryside with the occasional adobe house occupied by ruddy Mayans more closely resembling their South American Inca relatives. The recent introduction of llamas to these areas adds further similarity.

About one kilometer north from the lookout, a dirt-road turnoff heads east to the village of Chancol and the Unicornio Azul [2] equestrian center.

Back along the main (paved) road another nine kilometers or so is the Paquix Junction, with its westbound turnoff heading to the village of Todos Santos Cuchumatán [3].

Its northbound turnoff leads to the villages of San Juan Ixcoy, San Pedro Soloma [4], Santa Eulalia, San Mateo Ixtatán [5] and, eventually, Barillas [6].