The small town of San Francisco el Alto overlooks the Quetzaltenango valley from a lovely hillside setting just north of Totonicapan. The view alone is worth a visit, with the great plateau stretching out below and Volcan Santa Maria on the horizon, but the main reason for a trip here is the Friday market, possibly the biggest in Central America and attended by traders from every corner of Guatemala, many arrive the night before, and some start selling by candle-light from as early as 4am. At the very top of the hill is an open field used as an animal market, full of everything from pigs to parrots. Buyers inspect the animals' teeth and tongues, and at time the scene degenerates into a chaotic wrestling match, with livestock and men rolling in the dirt. San Francisco El Alto, Guatemala, 2014.

View of a cemetery in the middle of the small mountatin town of San Martín Sacatepéquez. Guatemala, 2014.