Lake Atitlan Guatemala: One of the Prettiest Places on Earth

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, a four-hour drive from the international airport in Guatemala City, is beguiling in its beauty. Ringed by mountains, volcanoes, and twelve towns and villages, Lake Atitlan is best discovered by small boat.

At prayer - Lake Atitlan Guatemala
At prayer – Lake Atitlan Guatemala

From artisan weavers, to legends of The Little Prince (the author spent time here recovering from injuries sustained in a plane crash) to a Mayan god who drinks and smokes – this Getaway Mavens “Greater Getaway” to Guatemala’s most famous Lake is not only resplendent, it is the source of both mythical and ridiculous folklore as well.

Lake Atitlan and volcanoes from Hotel Casa Palopo
Lake Atitlan and volcanoes from Hotel Casa Palopo

DO: Climb a volcano 

Lake Atitlan guide, Domingo Solis, insists, “I don’t carry my clients.” Which is another way of saying that you better be in tiptop shape to scale the hills of Lake Atitlan. The dormant volcano, San Pedro, is the most challenging here. Plan to hike five miles straight up – a climb of 4,000 ft. to a nearly 10,000 ft. elevation. From base to summit and back takes the better part of seven hours. Alternately, you can choose to climb the “steep but short” Cerro de Oro – “Hill of Gold.” Or try the “Sleeping Elephant.” It’s rumored that this hill was inspiration for a classic illustration (elephant swallowed by a snake) in The Little Prince. Author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry stayed in Guatemala after a plane crash here. So that theory is plausible.

Santiago Atitlan Guatemala
View of Lake Atitlan from Santiago dock

TOUR: Hire a boat to take you to various villages around Lake Atitlan

The artisan community of San Juan La Laguna is the most popular. Followed by the tiny but colorful Santa Catarina Palopo, and the larger Santiago.

 San Juan La Laguna on Lake Atitlan Guatemala
San Juan La Laguna on Lake Atitlan Guatemala

DO: Wander the hilly streets of San Juan La Laguna

Stop into art galleries and textile shops. San Juan is known for its embroidered birds and flowers on woven fabrics.

Q’omaneel Collective, San Juan on Lake Atitlan
Learn about medicinal plants and herbs at Q’omaneel Collective, San Juan on Lake Atitlan

DO: Learn about medicinal plants and herbs at Q’omaneel Collective, San Juan

And then purchase natural bug repellant and wrinkle erasers.

Bone Healer Mural San Juan Atitlan Guatemala
Bone Healer Mural San Juan Atitlan Guatemala

DO: Look for the “Bone Healer” mural in San Juan

It’s not hard to find.

Tortilla makers, San Juan La Laguna, Lake Atitlan Guatemala
Tortilla makers, San Juan La Laguna, Lake Atitlan Guatemala

DO: Help make tortillas the way it’s always been done

That is, with dried corn kernels soaked in limestone, ground to paste, patted flat, and roasted.

Womens Weaving Collective San Juan Atitlan Guatemala
Womens Weaving Collective San Juan Atitlan Guatemala

VISIT: A weaving collective – Casa Flor Ixcaco – in San Juan La Laguna

Witness all the handiwork that goes into spinning and dying organic cotton with natural dyes. And then creating works of wearable art on back-strap looms. Most amazing – scarves and throws in a rainbow of colors, some which take weeks to make, start at only $40 each.

Mayan god, Masheemon, smoking, Santiago Atitlan Guatemala
Mayan god, Masheemon, smoking, Santiago Atitlan Guatemala

FIND: the Mayan god, Masimon, in Santiago

In Santiago, ask a Tuk-Tuk driver (or your guide) to find the Mayan god, Masimon (pronounced “mo-she-mon”). On May 1st every year, this deity, cloaked in men’s ties, is moved to a different private residence. Concealed from the Catholic Church in apartments accessed by back alleys, Maximon drinks and smokes thanks to his Shaman handlers. These fellows keep the irreverent, legless, wooden god, pretty plastered. Want a picture? It will cost you ten Q’s (about $1.30).

Guatemalan taxi Santa Catarina Palopo
Guatemalan “taxi.”

EXPERIENCE: A “Guatemalan Taxi”

Tuk-tuks are fine, but for a real thrill take a “Guatemalan taxi.” It’s basically an open flatbed truck. Though some have benches, most people stand up.

Catholic Church in Santiago, Guatemala
Catholic Church in Santiago, Guatemala where you’ll see the co-mingling of Mayan and Catholic iconography.

Visit: A Catholic Church in Santiago, where you’ll see the co-mingling of Mayan and Catholic iconography

Find saints and Jesus dressed in scarves and ties –the attire of Mayan god, Maximon. Locals state that when the Spanish came to Guatemala in the 1500’s, attempting to convert the indigenous population to Catholicism, they failed miserably. Instead, this – and Mayan alters in other churches – represent the compromise between the two religions.

Santa Catarina Palopo
Colorfully painted town of Santa Catarina Palopo

MEANDER: in the tiny, colorfully painted town of Santa Catarina Palopo

Women on front porches hand weave intricate cloth in vivid colors. You can buy their handiwork, straight from the weaver. And rest assured that you are contributing to her household.

Weaver Santa Catarina Palopo
Weaver on front porch of Santa Catarina Palopo home, Lake Atitlan Guatemala.

STOP: into small family-run shops in Santa Catarina Palopo

Discover inexpensive one of a kind table runners, placemats, and embroidered local blouses.

School craft collective, Santa Catarina Palopo Lake Atitlan Guatemala
School craft collective, Santa Catarina Palopo Lake Atitlan Guatemala

BUY GIFTS: On your way to the dock in Santa Catarina Palopo

Stock up on gifts at the High School Craft Collective, which helps fund the local schools.

Ceramic-Makers San Antonio Palopo Lake Atitlan Guatemala
Ceramic-Makers San Antonio Palopo Lake Atitlan Guatemala

CHECK OUT: Famous Guatemalan Ceramics

Purchase signature ceramics right from the source in San Antonio Palopo – a town known for its ceramic-ware emblazoned with timeless designs.

Yarn Shop Chichicastenango Guatemala
Yarn Shop Chichicastenango Guatemala

DRIVE: to the market town of Chichicastenango

It’s about an hour from Locals buy produce and ritual objects for church visits (candles, incense, rum). Tourists, on the other hand, are over stimulated with shop after shop of crafts in kaleidoscopic colors. You might discover sophisticated gems among the schlocky establishments, but it requires patience and a keen eye.

Chichicastenango, Guatemala
Church in the market town of Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Visit: The church in the center of the Chichi market for the best example of the co-mingling of Mayan-Catholic cultures

The 18 steps leading up to the front door are all that is left of the Mayan Temple, destroyed by Spaniards in order to build the church in the 1500’s.  Inside, slightly raised stone Mayan altars line the center aisle of the church, leading up to the gilded Catholic alter at the front. Stay long enough and you’ll witness locals lighting candles and pouring rum on flower petals on each square altar. Quite the departure from our own rituals. It is not uncommon to see devout worshippers on their knees moving from the back of the church to the front, praying and sobbing.

Casa Palopo Hotel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Casa Palopo Hotel, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

STAY: Posh at what is arguably the best hotel in all of Guatemala: Casa Palopo.a Relais and Chateaux hotel

And for the best of the best, ask for one of three rooms in the Villa, which has its own kitchen, living room and infinity pool and hot tub. There is nothing more transcendent than watching the sun set over Lake Atitlan and its volcanoes from your private outdoor pool.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, a four-hour drive from the international airport in Guatemala City, is beguiling in its beauty. Ringed by mountains, volcanoes, and twelve towns and villages, Lake Atitlan is best discovered by small boat. #LakeAtitlan #visitguatemala #guatemala #travel

Author

  • Malerie Yolen-Cohen

    Malerie Yolen-Cohen is the Author of the cross-country travel guide, Stay On Route 6; Your Guide to All 3562 Miles of Transcontinental Route 6. She contributes frequently to Newsday, with credits in National Geographic Traveler, Ladies Home Journal, Yankee Magazine, Shape.com, Sierra Magazine, Porthole, Paddler, New England Boating, Huffington Post, and dozens of other publications. Malerie’s focus and specialty is Northeastern US, and she is constantly amazed by the caliber of restaurants and lodging in the unlikeliest places.

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