A beautiful deep water lake surrounded by three volcanoes – it really does exist! It is called Lake Atitlan. Once you cross the border into Guatemala, make sure you have enough daylight to reach Lake Atitlan, because the approaches are extremely narrow, winding and dangerous. If you feel you’d rather be safe than sorry, stay for the night in the town with a cool name of Huehuetenango. There are enough safe places – we opted for the Hotel Premier. It had a restaurant on premises and a secured gated parking – everything we needed to rest up after a busy day.
Next morning we continued, and after a short 3 hour drive, started to descend down to the lake. We were rewarded with incredible, breathtaking views of deep blue water below, and three volcanoes, majestically towering in the clouds.
Lake Atitlan means “between the waters” in one of the Aztec languages. The lake was formed by volcanic activity, which started roughly 11 million years ago, and culminated in an enormous eruption about 84,000 years ago. As a result, the ground collapsed, forming a caldera, similar to Santorini Island in Greece. Later the caldera became a beautiful deep lake Atitlan (in some places it is over a 1000 ft deep)!
It was not the end though – the volcanic activity in this region continued and with time 3 volcanoes were formed: San Pedro, Toliman and Atitlan, and the first two are dormant at the moment, but the third one is still active, with its last eruption only in 1853.
There are towns and quaint Mayan villages all around the lake, but as first-time visitors, we decided to play safe and stay in the hub, where everything is happening – Panajachel.
Panajachel
Panajachel is a town where all the action takes place. There is a big market along the main street that leads down to the lake. Take a walk – you will not be disappointed.
There are multiple choices of places to stay for every level and every wallet, from backpacker’s hostels to luxury all-inclusive SPA resorts, and we chose something in between. We settled for a nice hotel for a reasonable price called Regis Hotel and Spa. Besides normal amenities, the hotel also sported beautiful grounds and a spa with saunas and hot tubs, absolutely free of charge. Needless to say, after walking and exploring we spent every evening in stone-decorated tubs, soaking our tired bodies in piping hot water.
Fun Fact: Did you know that because of the number of expats living in Panajachel, it acquired a nickname of Gringotenango, which is supposed to be derogatory, but actually is quite amusing.
Panajachel turns into a “party town” at night. There are multiple bars available, but we especially liked the Circus Bar . This is where all the expats hang out together with many tourists and locals! Have a beer and listen to the live music – it is excellent!
There are all kinds of tours and activities offered, including an actual hike on a volcano. However, if you are in town for a limited time and can’t explore at a slow pace, there is one excursion you should definitely purchase: a full-day boat tour around Lake Atitlan, with stops in three Mayan towns. Don’t settle for just the transfer that is offered for a lot cheaper price, buy the one with the guide. It’s well worth the money! Without a guide you will not have the slightest idea what to do and what to see when you get off the boat.
However, if you do decide to take the tour by yourself, read on, and use this information to make the best out of your trip.
As I said earlier, the tour takes you to three Mayan villages: Santiago Atitlan, San Pedro La Laguna and San Juan La Laguna. All three are completely picturesque and full of indigenous atmosphere.
Santiago
In Santiago, start your tour in a small Mayan house and learn how to tie a traditional headdress. Tia Maria, who is over 90 years old, is an expert, and will gladly show you how to do it, and even completely dress you up! “Young people don’t do this anymore,” she says with regret, “they have other things in their minds, and the tradition is slowly dying….” And you can see she wears it with pride.
Afterwards walk or take a tuk-tuk up the hill and visit the Santiago Apostol Parish Church. This church is a perfect example of how the Catholic religion in this area closely intertwines with Mayan tradition of shamanism.
To start with, even the church itself was built on the foundation of a Mayan temple – the ground is believed to be holy no matter who is praying. The statues of the saints are dressed in traditional Mayan costumes. And what is there around their necks? Colorful scarfs? One of the most worshiped Mayan gods is Maximón, a pagan saint. A person goes to the idol of the god and prays to him through a shaman, who is a link, something of a translator, between humans and gods. And if the wish is granted, the person brings a scarf as a token of gratitude. So, all the Catholic saints deserve a scarf or two as well, don’t they? Jesus himself earned a couple, too.
Same goes for big Catholic holidays…. Who enters the cathedral with holy incense and cleanses the space? Not a priest, as you might think. That would be a shaman! Traditional Catholics don’t understand it and reject many of the beliefs, but for the indigenous people there is no other way.
Another person who even deserved a special chapel on the side of the church is Father Stanley Francis Rother, a priest from Oklahoma. He is highly revered as a spiritual teacher, and a martyr, after being murdered by a right-wing death squad in 1981. There is also a little museum that displays some of his belonging, including a small bust of JFK.
On the way back, don’t forget to take pictures of panoramic views of the lake! It is stunningly beautiful out there!
San Pedro La Laguna
In San Pedro La Laguna, the tour takes you to see artist and women’s textile cooperatives, which shows how native Maya people adapt to the changing realities of the modern world. Artist cooperatives pass their skill from generation to generation and even 10-year children master the art of painting colorful masterpieces.
The women’s cooperative deserves a special mention. Considering the fact that Guatemala, like many Latin American countries, still suffers from “machismo” culture, it is pretty amazing that women stand up for their rights to work and are actually successful in what they do! But what is amazing as well is that they create this wonderful clothes with only natural dye.
One of the ladies gave a detailed lecture about what plants they use and how the color is achieved. “The plants are only green because of chlorophyll” – she explained, – “but after boiling them, chlorophyll deteriorates and what’s left is only the color pigment. Just dip a ball of yarn in this colored water once, and you get a bright color right away!
In order to preserve it, the ladies dip the newly colored yarn into some solution, made out of banana leaves and, voilà! You can even machine-wash it, nothing will happen! It is truly magical, and I am happy that these traditions are still alive. I wish everyone knew how to do it, instead of buying clothes that fade after two months! 😉
In awe, and with desire to support this wonderful art, I couldn’t pass a chance to purchase one of the colorful wraps for myself. It is made from start to finish by this lovely lady Julia in the picture. Talking about a piece of clothes that makes people’s heads turn in the States!
San Juan La Laguna
San Juan is another scenic town and offers a bit more of party lifestyle – no wonder is it so loved by hundreds of backpackers, coming here every year. Walk its narrow streets and don’t forget to stop at one of the many cafes to try the famous Guatemalan coffee!
When you finally come back to your place, you will feel like you’ve been in a different world, on another planet – and the clicking sounds of the Mayan language will play over and over in your head…
After our great stay at Lake Atitlan, we followed the Pan-American Highway in the direction of Antigua, another place that was well worth the visit.
