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Lake Atitlan
Also known as Lago de Atitlan, reputed to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, is about 1,500m above sea level. It is completely surrounded by soaring volcanic mountains and volcanos; is seven miles long and three miles wide with an average depth of 200m.
Panajachel
On our first day at the lake we decided to explore Panajachel in the morning. As the largest town near Lake Atitlan, Panajachel (also known as Pana) is sort of the hub for the area. We started out by wandering along the water front with it’s lovely views across the lake.
It was then up one of the main tourist shopping lanes stopping to admire all the wonderful textiles, woodwork and crafts on offer.
Next stop was the market where every manor of spice, fruit and veg was for sale, plus clothing and bunches of plastic items.
Markets are just fascinating, I could wander around them for hours if able, John soon tires.
So then we were off to a coffee shop where we all enjoyed refreshments and planned what we would do for the afternoon….
A launcha to a few of the neighboring villages
We decided to risk the weather and take a launcha to a few of the neighboring villages. The launcha ride took us along the lake shore passing some lovely looking homes, obviously homes of the wealthy.
Santa Catarina Palopo
Our 1st stop was Santa Catarina Palopo where all the buildings were decorated in blues, turquoises, yellow and green geometric designs. Why was this, well apparently Santa Catarina Palopo is currently being transformed by a community-based art project called the “Pintando Santa Catarina”. As the project grows, the village is being transformed into a colorful masterpiece, decked out in traditional Mayan patterns using vivid, eco-friendly limestone paint.
The patterns represent the town’s ancient textiles that are usually found woven into the garments/clothing of the indigenous people. This project is primarily designed to raise local pride and attract tourists in order to market the local textiles and crafts.
The effort has effectively raised money for the whole community and everyone has profited. I just loved the designs and the uplifting image they had on the town in general. We had an hour here to wander around, and to enjoy refreshments, unfortunately it was drizzling, but no matter it was very enjoyable.
San Antonio Palopo
The next village we went to on our launcha was San Antonio Palopo. This village is inhabited by Maya cakchiquel people. It is known for its pottery and weaving of textiles. As we approached we could see that much of the agriculture was on shelving terraces depending the mountainside. We had seen this before in Peru where they too have to farm steep slopes.
At the dockside was a local Maya lady who was introduced as a guide. We walked with her along the lakeside lane until we can to a pottery. There we went in and had a look at the very colourful beautifully hand-painted wares.
We were then guided up a very steep lane until we came to a small weavers. There we had a look at the different materials, they were all so beautiful.
We ended up buying a large piece that was in purples which I now use to cover our bed. Then before I knew it the ladies had a beautiful poncho shaped shawl over my shoulders. It was woven in wonderful blues with the lightest of threads, of course I needed to purchase it too. John was not left out as he was shown a really smart shirt of local design which he purchased and loves.
Saying our adios to the ladies we then passed by the church, but as there was a service in session we did not enter.
The view from in front of the church was wonderful, but with the drizzly weather we didn’t linger.
Our guide led us down all the tiny back lanes to the launcha area where we had, more refreshments – a drink waiting for the heavier rain to abate.
Off to Huehuetenango
The next morning we set off for the next leg of our road trip following the Pan-American Highway – the CA1 148 odd kilometers to Huehuetenango.
The steep climb from Panajachel afforded us wonderful views of the lake. The weather was just perfect.
We stopped at the Mirador/viewpoint for photos. And really the photos do not do the view justice. It is just magnificent!
The CA1 road proved to be somewhat worn with areas of massive potholes where it looked like the land under the road had subsided.
The scenery was a mix of forested slopes and busy towns that we passed through. We skirted Quetzaltenango the second capitol of Guatemala, it was a very busy area.
After several hours we entered Huehuetenango.
Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango is found at the foot of the Cuchumatanes Mountains in Guatemala’s Western Highlands. Known affectionately as “Huehue” (pronounced: wayway), by locals, and foreigners that find Huehue easier to say, the town lies in a valley ringed by mountains.
Huehue is a busy town, but it has a relaxed atmosphere despite the fact that it’s a hub for trade and transport in northwest Guatemala. As it is a departmental, (area/zone), capital, making it busy with coffee farmers, traders, and travelers heading to or from the western border with Mexico. Its location make it a great place to base our visit to a few nearby attractions.
Once we arrived we drove around looking for somewhere to park, the “roads” in the town are incredibly narrow and with folks crossing, wandering and bargaining in them it was quite a squeeze. Once parked we walked to the town square to follow the directions as to where the Airbnb was located.
Our third Airbnb
As advertised it was close to the center of town, we entered the gate and followed the path, crossed a field with a cow grazing, past a pen of very excited dogs and found our home for the next few nights. The house-keeper and her husband met us, she showed us around and he showed John and Chris where to bring the car. All this was conducted with our limited Spanish and they having no English.
The Airbnb really was a piece of the country in the town, very, very rustic, but adequate. That evening we had wanted to eat out, but the rain was unrelenting so we rustled up some food we had, ate in and played a game of “Town and Country”. Oh and yes it was chilly….
And on to Todos Santos in the Western Highlands
Come morning we headed into the Western Highlands towards Todos Santos. This drive was stunning! The views and scenery were just a visual feast, the road wound around and up.
We stopped at Mirador Juan Dieguez Olaveri which as its name implies is a lookout/viewpoint. This was a magnificent view, admittedly the clouds kept drifting across, but it was still stunning.
Found here was also a wonderful coffee shop, that looked like a Swiss chateau, so we all had a hot drink and pastry which was delicious. Yes, it is chilly enough for a hot drink!
Back on the road we continued to head up and up, all the way past the clouds it seemed to go. We were over 10,000 feet above sea level!
Finally we seemed to reach the “top” and eventually we emerged on what is best described as high plateau.
There we saw many flocks of sheep with a shepherd or two attending them and farms with fields of what looked like cauliflower growing. Plus areas looked boggy almost reminiscent of southern Irish landscape. But then plants growing and the flowers that seemed out of place in this landscape.
The roadway started to wind downward around sharp bends towards the valley where our destination was located.
Todos Santos Cuchumantan
We reached Todos Santos our destination and followed tiny roadways till we found Parque – aka – carpark. Todos Santos as mentioned is located in Guatemala’s Western Highlands in the department/zone of Huehuetenango.
Why visit this town? Todos Santos’ isolation has helped keep its Mayan traditions alive, and rightfully so, the town’s residents are proud of their traditions.
These Mayans still speak the Mayan language of Mam, one of the oldest Mayan languages and it’s one of the few places in Guatemala where you can see locals wearing traditional attire. For the men, it’s a Tipicos that means red pants with white stripes and a shirt that has a large and colorful woven collar, plus colourful accents on both sides. Some men also wear half-length black chaps over their pants, and wide-brimmed hats with blue ribbons.
The women wear purple blouses called huipiles and dark blue skirts. Both men and women carry a specially woven handbag.
Not everyone dresses this way, but I had read that chances were good that we would see at least a few people in traditional costume. We were not disappointed as we strolled around, many of the men and women were in the traditional attire, some of the little boys too. It really is eye-catchingly elegant.
Our starting point was by the town center where we saw the church, Todos Santos Cuchumatan’s church.
Next we wandered the lanes and alleyways of the market. Once again the market was fascinating, especially the stalls/tiendas selling the fabrics. However like most markets there is just everything you need for sale, the choices are extreme from hunks of meat to all forms of spices, sweets, shoes or clothes, you can find it all.
We found from talking to the locals that it takes a few weeks to make the traditional clothes. You start by having to be specially measured and fitted. The cloth is woven, the fabric sown and the embroidery attached. I just loved the hats and bags and ended up buying one of the colourful bags.
We ended up at the main plaza where it was excellent to people watch the residents going about their daily lives, wearing the most lovely clothing that is so similar but also so individual too.
Our drive back unfortunately entailed driving for a ways through the thick clouds. The clouds had fallen in the higher elevations and formed a very misty cover making visibility less easy. Passing the areas in the mountains where there were “mementos” to persons killed some horrible accident it was easy to understand how this can happen.
In Guatemala there are few if any precautions taken to stop anyone driving off the roads. In fact passing on bends is quite a reality of driving here, you never know what might come tearing around the bend.
That evening was spent going out for an early dinner and quiet reading back at our Airbnb. We were heading back to Lake Atitlan the next day.
What stunning landscapes we had been fortunate enough to see.
