While the miniature earthquakes that shake and rattle Quetzaltenango on an almost daily basis are testament to the sheer, unrelenting forces of plate tectonics, the Los Vahos steam baths in the hills above Xela cast Mother Nature’s fury in a more benign light.

About an hour’s uphill walk from the center of town, out of the city and into the countryside, Los Vahos is tucked into the foothills of the Cerro Quemado volcano. The baths are situated directly over a volcanic vent which provides the vapors for this totally natural steam bath. The rooms on the second floor are spa-like, well-lit and tiled, while down below one can get up close and personal with the volcano itself in dark, dungeon like rooms which belch steam from the bowels of the earth.