When it comes to shopping, textiles are the most popular item in Guatemala. Each town or region has its own unique pattern found in the 'huipil', the blouse of the traditional dress. While each design tells a story with the colors and animals, the origin of textiles actually come from the colonial period when Spaniards assigned different patterns to each village in order to identify them and keep them from uniting against the Spaniards. The tradition continued, and a good textile is labor of love, sometimes taking months to weave. Unfortunately, the larger cities are flooded with cheap machine made weavings; always look to see how well the work was finished off on the backside of the piece to determine the quality of the weaving.

Jade is also popular amongst tourists as one can see from the multitude of jade shops lining the streets of Antigua. There are many jade knock-offs, so it is best to go to a shop in town or in the artisan market rather than buy from street vendors.

The Guatemala coffee is spectacular thanks to the rich volcanic soil and it can be found in many stores in town sell it. Or, you can make an afternoon of learning about Guatemalan coffee on a coffee tour, and buy it directly there.

Guatemala has wonderful wood carvers in various regions – the coast, Lake Atitlan, and Peten.

Lastly, some of the smaller villages around Lake Atitlan are known for their pottery. While bulky to cart around with you, the patterns are quite unique and the pottery quite durable. When shopping in the markets be aware of the quality and keep your eyes on your wallet.