Day 4: Lake Atitlan

We got up very early this morning to travel to Lake Atitlan, a volcanic lake that is known as one of Guatemala’s most amazing sights.  The lake itself is a crater, but it has more recently been ringed by three “new” volcanoes.

            It was a long and windy drive through the highlands, where it can quickly get cold. (Parents, don’t be alarmed: the reason Kellie isn’t the group photo is because she was feeling the effects of the winding roads at that moment.). We had breakfast on  the way in a café, and arrived at the lake at about 9:30, where we were met by a local  guide, Alejandro.

            The main way to get around Atitlan is by boat, so we boarded at Panajachel and rode to San Pedro de la Laguna. There we learned about a couple local cooperatives – coffee and weaving.   Then we visited with a family that our guide described as typical Mayan-Catholic. Their living conditions were, to say the least, eye-opening. The grandfather of the family, Feliziano, also a former mayor of the town,  welcomed us with a song (really) and invited us to see his home altar.

            Our second stop was the largest village on the lake’s south shore: Santiago Atitlan. We had lunch at a restaurant there (the kids were surprised to see “American” food on the menu)  and then saw the town square and the church, where there is a memorial to a local priest who was killed in1981 during the war. Then came a most unusual stop – visiting a local home which is this year’s home of  “Maximon,” who doubles as a Mayan saint and (once a year) as Judas in the Christian processions.

            Our last stop was brief but very informative. San Antonio Popolo is the smallest of the villages we visited, but  we had to make our way through crowds as we arrived because there was a political rally going on right by the dock.  You can’t miss that there is an election coming up here in September, because political signs are everywhere – not just in the usual spots, but painted on every rock and wall along the highway. We were intrigued by the large crowd gathered for the orange “hard hand” party – it was hard to tell whether the crowds were unsupportive or just quiet.

            San Antonio also struck us because of the especially pushy merchants. Small children and old women followed us through the streets, offering (as everyone does) a “good price.”  They seemed more desperate than most for our business, which is unfortunate because the energy we have for bargaining and shopping is waning.

            We were also struck – on the road and throughout the day – by the difficulty many have here eeking out a living, whether they are planting corn on exceedingly steep hillsides, re-building washed-out roads, or hauling wet concrete up three stories by hand. The Maya are a people with great endurance and a sense of history as old as the volcanoes