You can shop the jam-packed stalls in downtown Guatemala City’s Mercado Central (8a Avenida and 6a Calle, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–noon Sun.) for textiles, típica clothing, and leather goods.

A safer and more enjoyable option can be found near the airport and Zona 13 museums at the open-air Mercado de Artesanías (Boulevard Juan Pablo II, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Sun.), with a fairly wide assortment of handicrafts and tourist souvenirs.

Recommended retailers include Lin Canola (5a Calle 9-60 Zona 1, tel. 2232-0858, www.lin-canola.com, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Fri.), where the assortment varies from home decorative items to jewelry and everything between. This store is especially recommended if you want to buy Guatemalan fabrics by the yard.

Its Zona 10 location, In Nola (18 Calle 21-31 Zona 10 Boulevard Los Próceres, tel. 2367-2424, 8:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Mon.–Fri. and 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Sat.), is more modern and contains much the same in a better part of town.

Selling fashionable adaptations on traditional designs for the home, Textura (Diagonal 6, 13-63 Zona 10, tel. 2333-5496, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Sat.) is especially recommended for its beautiful and colorful hammocks.