San Juan Comalapa, a Kaqchikel town in Chimaltenango about 81 km from Guatemala City, has two free museums and a family gallery. The Ministry of Culture’s directory lists the Museo de Arte Maya as open every day and the Museo Rafael Álvarez Ovalle, the museum of the national anthem’s composer, on weekdays with weekends by appointment (undated in the directory, checked 10 November 2026; call ahead).
In short: Museo de Arte Maya, 3a calle 0-74 zona 1: free; Mon-Sat 8:00-16:00, Sun 10:30-16:00. Museo Rafael Álvarez Ovalle, 1a avenida 1-19 zona 3: free; Mon-Fri 8:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, weekends by appointment. Galería Casa Andrés Curruchich, 0 avenida 3-76 zona 1: Mon-Fri 8:00 am-8:00 pm, works for sale. Market days Tuesday, Friday and Sunday (ST Guatemala Travel). 45 km from Antigua.
Hours, fees and contacts
| Place | Address | Hours | Entry | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museo de Arte Maya | 3ra. calle 0-74 zona 1 | Monday to Saturday 8:00-16:00; Sunday 10:30-16:00 | Free | 4704-1008 |
| Museo Rafael Álvarez Ovalle | 1.ª avenida 1-19, zona 3 | Monday to Friday 8:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00; Saturday and Sunday by prior appointment | Free | 7849-8103, 5450-1815, 4740-0495 |
| Galería de Arte Casa Andrés Curruchich | 0 avenida 3-76 zona 1 | Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm | No fee listed | 5920-0688 |
All three rows come from the Ministry of Culture’s cultural information system (SIC); the hours and fees are undated in the Ministry of Culture directory, checked 10 November 2026; call ahead. The gallery’s entry lists no weekend hours. The three numbers for the composer’s museum are the ones SIC gives for weekend appointments.
Museo de Arte Maya
SIC describes the museum as a non-profit space for art, education, culture, research and tourism that preserves ancestral life through painting, archaeology, and oral, written and photographic history. Its representative is Julián Gabriel Samol (email jugabriels@yahoo.com). Art in the Americas, whose artists’ walk stops here, says you will see Maya relics, historic photographs and more local artwork.
Museo Rafael Álvarez Ovalle
Rafael Álvarez Ovalle wrote the music of Guatemala’s national anthem, and this museum keeps his collection of objects and personal belongings. SIC names gala clothes, antique furniture, musical scores including the original score of the anthem, photographs, paintings and instruments: a cello, a guitar and the piano on which he composed the anthem’s music. Its contact email is casaculturarao@gmail.com.
Galería Casa Andrés Curruchich
SIC describes the gallery as a family enterprise that tells the history of painting in Comalapa through the life of Andrés Curruchich, whom it calls the pioneer of popular painting in Guatemala and the first to paint in oil on canvas in the town. According to the same entry:
- Gustavo Stall took his paintings to art galleries in the United States in 1958, and the exhibitions broke visitor records.
- President Miguel Idígoras Fuentes then awarded him the Orden del Quetzal in the grade of Gran Oficial, and the first art gallery in San Juan Comalapa opened from that date.
- Today the gallery shows a collective exhibition of artists recognised in Guatemala and abroad, covering the town’s customs, traditions and worldview, and sells the works to support the local economy.
The representative is María Elena Curruchiche Roquel (mariaelenacurruchicheroquel@gmail.com). The representative’s surname is written Curruchiche, as Art in the Americas also spells the painter’s name; SIC’s gallery title uses Curruchich.
The painters’ town and its mural
Art in the Americas calls Comalapa the cradle of folk artists in Guatemala, where Kaqchikel painters have portrayed their traditions, history and values for decades in naïf paintings. Its walk goes to what it calls the longest mural in the country, whose images run from the region’s early Maya civilisation through the 1976 earthquake, civil-war atrocities and present-day environmental problems. On the same walk it visits several studios, including that of a granddaughter of Andrés Curruchiche and that of Oscar Perén, painter of La Camioneta, a picture of a chicken bus. Voyageur Tours notes many rudimentary art galleries around the main plaza.
Day trips from Antigua
| Operator | Days and times | Group | Price | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art in the Americas (Comalapa Art Walk) | Leaves Antigua 8 a.m., back about 3 p.m.; 7 hours | Minimum 4; discount for groups of 6 | Varies by group size | Artists’ studios, the mural, Museo de Arte Maya; a meal at a restaurant or cooked by an artist’s family |
| ST Guatemala Travel | Tuesday, Friday and Sunday only | Minimum 2 | USD 120.00 per person | Church, market, house of the painter Tomás Curuchiche, looms, a crafts workshop and typical-sweets makers; private transport, bilingual guide and typical lunch included |
| Voyageur Tours (Iximché and San Juan Comalapa) | Wednesdays and Fridays, from 8:00 | Minimum 4 | Not published | Comalapa’s market and plaza, then the ruins of Iximché; lunch in Tecpán not included |
Prices and days were read on the operators’ pages on 10 November 2026; Voyageur Tours’ page carries a 2020 copyright. Art in the Americas takes bookings through Estela Vázquez Johnston, its guide, on (502) 4149-4663. For Iximché on its own, see the Iximché ruins guide and Antigua to Iximché, which also covers a private tour that adds Comalapa.
Related
- Town data for the municipality: San Juan Comalapa.
- Another highland craft visit: San Juan La Laguna textile tour.
- The capital’s craft market, which has a shop named for Comalapa: Mercado de Artesanías, Guatemala City.
Sources
- SIC, Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes: Museo de Arte Maya — undated, read 10 November 2026.
- SIC: Museo Rafael Álvarez Ovalle — undated, read 10 November 2026.
- SIC: Galería de Arte Casa Andrés Curruchich — undated, read 10 November 2026.
- Art in the Americas: Naif Art Guatemala Tour — tour operator, read 10 November 2026.
- ST Guatemala Travel: Tour al pueblo de San Juan Comalapa — tour operator, read 10 November 2026.
- Voyageur Tours: Iximché and San Juan Comalapa — tour operator, read 10 November 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the opening hours and entry fees of San Juan Comalapa's museums and gallery?
The Ministry of Culture’s directory lists the Museo de Arte Maya as free, Monday to Saturday 8:00-16:00 and Sunday 10:30-16:00, and the Museo Rafael Álvarez Ovalle as free, Monday to Friday 8:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, with weekends by appointment. The Galería Casa Andrés Curruchich opens Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, with no fee listed. All are undated in the directory, checked 10 November 2026; call ahead.
How far is San Juan Comalapa from Antigua and Guatemala City?
The Ministry of Culture puts San Juan Comalapa about 81 km from Guatemala City and 24 km from Chimaltenango. ST Guatemala Travel, an Antigua tour operator, gives 45 km from Antigua Guatemala.
Which day is market day in Comalapa?
ST Guatemala Travel runs its Comalapa tour only on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, which it calls the town’s market days.
What is in the Rafael Álvarez Ovalle museum?
The personal belongings of the composer of the music of Guatemala’s national anthem: gala clothes, antique furniture, scores including the anthem’s original score, photographs, paintings and instruments, among them a cello, a guitar and the piano on which he composed the anthem, according to the Ministry of Culture.
Can I book a day trip to Comalapa from Antigua?
Three Antigua operators publish one. Art in the Americas runs a 7-hour artists’ studio walk leaving at 8 a.m., minimum 4, price on request. ST Guatemala Travel lists USD 120 per person, minimum 2, with lunch. Voyageur Tours combines Comalapa with Iximché on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00, minimum 4.
