Santa Catarina Mita: A Tiny Guatemalan Gem You've Never Heard Of
okay, so i ended up in this tiny town called santa catarina mita and honestly, i wasn't even planning to stop here. i was just driving through jutiapa department, trying to get from one place to another, when i saw this little cluster of buildings and thought, why not?
first thing i noticed: the air. it's thin, crisp, and somehow smells like woodsmoke and coffee all at once. the weather right now is sitting at 11.45Ā°c with 90% humidity, so yeah, it's cool and damp. i just checked and it's 11Ā°c and feels like 11Ā°c there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. bring a jacket, or don't, and freeze like i almost did.
i stayed in this little family-run place near the central plaza. no name, just a hand-painted sign that said "hospedaje." the owner, doƱa mercedes, made me black beans and eggs every morning and told me stories about the 1976 earthquake that shook everything flat. she said the church took three years to rebuild and that some folks still think it's haunted. i heard that from her, but also from the guy selling mangoes across the street, so maybe it's true?
if you get bored, jutiapa and monjas are just a short drive away, but honestly, you won't get bored here. there's a tiny archaeological site just outside town with these weird stone faces carved into the hillside. nobody really talks about it, and there's no ticket booth, but i wandered in and spent an hour just sitting there. felt like i was trespassing on history.
food-wise, don't miss the *elotes locos* sold at the corner near the church on weekends. i paid 5 quetzales for one drowning in mayo, cheese, and hot sauce, and it was the best thing i ate all week. someone told me that the lady who sells them used to be a chef in guatemala city but came back because she missed the quiet. sounds like a movie plot, but i believe it.
for getting around, i rented a bike from a kid named carlos for 20 quetzales a day. he didn't give me a helmet, and the brakes were sketchy, but hey, it worked. there's no uber here, obviously, but you can flag down a pickup truck and hop in the back for next to nothing. just hold on tight.
and here's the thing about santa catarina mita: it's not trying to be anything. it's not a tourist trap, it's not a hidden gem, it's just a place where people live and work and laugh. if you're the kind of traveler who needs constant stimulation, skip it. but if you like slow mornings, warm tortillas, and random conversations with strangers, you'll be weirdly happy here.
i almost forgot the map! here's where i basically camped out for three days:
and because i know you're curious, here are a few random photos i snapped. they don't do it justice, but whatever:
want more context? check out the jutiapa department page on wikipedia or browse local eats on tripadvisor. and if you're into weird little towns, you might also like monjas, guatemala or jalapa's coffee tours.
You might also be interested in:
- https://votoris.com/post/best-suburbs-in-yaound-for-families-and-young-professionals-okay-maybe-just-for-people-who-dont-mind-a-little-chaos
- https://votoris.com/post/rigas-midnight-tram-ride-that-i-will-never-forget
- https://votoris.com/post/gafsa-diaries-when-the-sahara-whispers-and-the-coffee-sputters
- https://votoris.com/post/knysna-where-the-humidity-hugs-you-like-an-old-friend-and-other-weird-filmscouting-adventures
- https://votoris.com/post/kathmandu-the-sticky-heat-a-dispatch-from-somewhere