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The town cemetery , down the hill behind El Calvario, offers evidence of the strange mix of religions that characterizes Chichicastenango. The graves are marked by anything from a grand tomb to a small earth mound, and in the centre is a Maya shrine where offerings of incense and alcohol are made. The church and cemetery are certainly not the only scenes of Maya religious activity: the hills that surround the town, like so many throughout the country, are topped with shrines. The closest of these, Pascual Abaj , is less than a kilometre from the plaza and regularly visited by tourists, but it's important to remember that any ceremonies you may witness are deeply serious - you should keep your distance and be sensitive about taking photographs. The shrine is laid out in a typical pattern with several small altars facing a stern pre-Columbian sculpture. Offerings are usually overseen by a brujo , a type of shaman, and range from flowers to sacrificed chickens, always incorporating plenty of incense, alcohol and incantations. To get to Pascual Abaj, walk down the hill beside Santo Tomas, take the first right, 9 Calle, and follow this as it winds its way out of town. You'll soon cross a stream and then a well-signposted route takes you through the courtyard of a workshop that churns out wooden masks. If you look up, you may see a thin plume of smoke if there's a ceremony in progress. The path continues uphill for ten minutes through a dense pine forest
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