Chapín Chat

Chapín is not a word from a tourist guide: it is what Guatemalans call each other, and it is what makes this room different from a generic country channel. People drop in from Zone 10 in the capital, from Quetzaltenango — Xela to everyone — from Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Petén, and also from those who have spent years in Los Angeles or Madrid and still say "qué chilero" without noticing.

What gets talked about depends on the hour. In the afternoon it is the match, the marimba that played at grandmother's house, or where to find good paches. Late at night the conversation drops its voice and becomes the usual one: work, the family back home, the plans to return. During Holy Week the room fills with photos and arguments about which carpet in Antigua was the best.

No registration, nothing to install: pick a nickname and join from your phone or computer. ChatZona has run its own IRC server since 2007, so the connection holds up when the room gets busy.