The town of Santiago Atitlán (1556 m) sits in a bay or inlet of Lago Atitlán between two volcanos: Volcán San Pedro which rises to 2846 m west of the town and Volcán Toliman rises to 3144 m southeast.
Boats connect the numerous communities around Lago Atitlán.
The majority of the residents are indigenous Mayans. It was the capital of the Tz'utujil people in pre-Columbian times. The Tz'utujil had been in this area for generations when the Spanish arrived. Santiago was established by Franciscan friars in 1547 as part of the colonial strategy to consolidate the indigenous population.
Santiago Atitlán was the site of considerable state-sponsored violence during the country's civil war (1960-1996), particularly from the 1960s when, in a campaign against mainly Mayan ethnic groups, 40,000 to 50,000 people 'disappeared'. In the 1980s, left-wing guerrillas had a strong presence in the area, prompting the Guatemalan army to kill or 'disappear' hundreds of villagers. Altogether, probably 200,000 died and 'disappeared'.
This town is the largest of the lake communities and has a strong indigenous identity. Many atitecos (as its people are known) proudly adhere to a traditional Tz'utujil Maya lifestyle. Women wear purple-striped skirts and huipiles embroidered with coloured birds and flowers, while older men still wear lavender or maroon striped embroidered pants.
It was almost half an hour to cross the lake. First up, we took a little 3-wheel taxi/tuk-tuk (cramming into the back seat with our guide Maurizio) up a steep climb through the town and then we walked between residences (we'd have NEVER found this without a guide!!) to a house where a local Mayan folk saint or deity called Maximón (also known by its Catholic alias San Simón) resides with a caretaker, receiving offerings. He changes house every year. The shaman we saw here we then saw later at the Catholic Church lower down in the main plaza. The town's cofradías maintain the traditions and rituals of Maya Catholicism.
Here in the plaza, Maurizio introduced us to a local woman with traditional headdress (I think it is called a cinta) - she undid it and then showed us how she wound it round her head - 20 m of multicoloured tape! She is aged 75 by the way.
Then I had a go trying on the Mayan blouse or huipil which are made of cloth woven on a backstrap loom and heavily decorated by hand.
Maurizio was a great guide - lots of information and didn't expect us to buy stuff at places where he had 'friends' - AND we had an EXCELLENT coffee (best by far the entire trip) at Cafe Rafá.
We enjoyed a very colourful walk back through the market.
When we got back from the trip across the lake, we declined the drive back to our hotel favouring a walk along the lake shore instead. When we were done with that, we headed away from the water but avoided the 'main drag' Calle Santander and we were rewarded with an interesting view of local life - plus a proper supermarket where we bought water (and a bottle of the local rum which is meant to be OK - $US7).
Then a late lunch of hamburger which was delicious and the local beer Gallo at La Palapa in the main street - great for watching life pass by. And a 'proper' mixed drink (gin and tonic) for me - not watered down.
One other table of 4 turned out to be 'Deplorables' from the US judging by their conversation about Trump - "change is good!!". This what Trump supporters from Ohio look like -
Then back via the 'main drag' past a large funeral procession, dozens of buses and 'tuk-tuks', people everywhere.
Finally, our hotel -
After a break, we walked down the road to another spot on the lake to watch the sunset. It IS very pretty - I'm just not sure I agree with the hype about Lake Atitlán: Aldous Huxley famously wrote of it in his 1934 travel book Beyond the Mexique Bay: "Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing."
