Qibla direction in Chichicastenango

How to face the Qibla in Chichicastenango

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 36.0° towards north: the result is the bearing of 54.0°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “east” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Chichicastenango.

Facing the Qibla is a condition of the prayer. Whoever prays inside the Sacred Mosque faces the Kaaba itself; whoever is far away, as in Chichicastenango, faces its direction and makes a sincere effort to be accurate. A nearby mosque is a handy reference, because its prayer rows were aligned when it was built. Once you know the direction at home, a discreet mark on the wall saves you from checking again.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Chichicastenango to Mecca points to 87.0° (east), a full 33.0° away from the true Qibla of 54.0° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 535 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Chichicastenango first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

How is the figure of 54.0° obtained? From the coordinates of Chichicastenango (14.9433° N, 91.1112° W) and of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E), spherical trigonometry gives the starting bearing of the great circle joining them. Mosque architects and astronomical Qibla tables rely on exactly the same calculation.

Distance from Chichicastenango to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 13,308 km from Chichicastenango as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 13,103 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 16 h 09 min, although most pilgrims from Chichicastenango connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Chichicastenango run 9 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Chichicastenango rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Chichicastenango

On 103 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Chichicastenango while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in May (31 days); for example, on 1 May 2027 it happens at 12:00 local time.

On 262 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 15:35.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Chichicastenango (03:18 and 03:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 15:29 and 28 November 2027 at 15:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Chichicastenango points straight to Mecca.

Chichicastenango compared with other cities

The Qibla here is practically the same as in Guatemala City (54.5°), and Mecca is 33 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Totonicapán (27 km), prays towards 53.9°, a difference of 0.1°.

Across the 14 cities in Guatemala on this site, the Qibla ranges from 53.7° in Coatepeque to 55.1° in Puerto Barrios, a spread of 1.4°. The difference is small, yet each city should still use its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Guatemala.

Qibla in cities near Chichicastenango

• Totonicapán53.9° · 27 km
• Quetzaltenango53.8° · 46 km
• San Juan Sacatepéquez54.4° · 56 km
• Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa54.4° · 68 km
• Guatemala City54.5° · 73 km
• Villa Nueva54.5° · 73 km