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Zaculeu
We left Huehuetenango a day early as we had decided to spend an extra day at Lake Atitlan. Our first stop on our return journey was another Mayan site, Zaculeu pronounced Saqulew.
I had read that Zaculeu is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site and was the capital of the Mam, one of the main highland tribes before the Spanish conquest, the same peoples as we saw in Todos Santos.
The site contains several large temples, plazas and a ball court. Apparently the Mam called their capital Chinabajul. The K’iche conquerors changed the name to Zaculeu, meaning “White Earth” which refers to the white limestone plaster used by the Mam on all their buildings.
The K’iche’ rebuilt over earlier Mam structures in a distinctively K’iche’ style. When the Spanish showed up in 1525 the K’iche’ were still the dominant force in the highlands.
This site was interesting as many of the buildings had been “restored” and we were able to see clearly the shape and also allowed to climb up a number of them. The view from Zaculeu was lovely, looking right across the forested slopes.
Back on the CA1 we basically reversed our journey from a few days previously again passing the busy areas around Quetzaltenango and the quieter farmland areas. Stopping after a few hours for a break and refreshments then ploughing on towards Lake Atitlan.
Upon reaching Panajachel we crossed the little bridge to the settlement on the other side and then had to navigate down and along incredibly narrow lanes.
Finally after a number of false turns finding our newest Airbnb, we then nearly had to bend the car in half to fit it in the gate. This Airbnb was further out of the town but absolutely lovely with everything anyone would need.
Walking to Santa Catarina and then onto San Antonio Palopo
Walking between the villages around the shoreline became our mantra for the next few days. Our 1st walk was from where we were staying to Santa Catarina and then onto San Antonio Palopo. We actually started off by walking into Panajachel where we had a delicious breakfast.
Breakfast finished and we headed off towards Santa Catarina. We weren’t far along when we discovered that a little white dog was following us. He was actually one of the many strays that seemed to hang about near the bridge in Panajachel.
The lane was lovely, shaded in areas, with wonderful views across the lake.
There were hills to climb up and down, but as the weather was cooler there it was very a comfortable walking temperature.
At our first town Santa Catarina we admired the colourful buildings and again the views across the lake.
This town has made a real effort to encourage tourists to visit by painting their buildings in the colors and designs that represent their Mayan heritage – the textiles they weave.
The results are just wonderful! Previously it had been a rainy dull day when we visited, this day was bright and sunny so the colors really stood out! Hey, even the graveyard was painted!
Soon we were off and on towards our second village San Antonio Palopo, still the little dog followed, this was with no encouragement from us. The views were stunning and the roadway itself was very pretty.
We could see all the farming on the terraced slopes and folks out on the lake fishing. There was virtually no traffic and the trees shaded us making the walk very comfortable.
On the outskirts of this village we went inside a pottery shop and admired the pottery, bought a few items and all the while the little dog waited for us.
Further along we went into a textile shop where the lady showed us her looms and explained how the threads are all dyed from natural materials, many plant based.
She then kindly called a tuktuk driver for us and we climbed aboard while the little white dog was being friendly with some other folks we drove away. The tuktuk took us back to Panajachel by which time it was afternoon.
We had walked about 10 miles and had a wonderful day. I still wonder what became of the little white dog….
Walking from San Marcus to San Juan La Laguna
The following day we had decided to catch a public launcha to San Marcos, and head out from there. We were fortunate that a launcha was just ready to leave when we got to the dockside.
San Marcus has a reputation for its incredible natural beauty, tranquility, and magical atmosphere and it is known as being the holistic, health-conscious and spiritual centre and the “hippie” town on the lake.
Once at San Marcos we had a brief look around as we walked the few lanes towards the exit lane. I really admired the murals, there were many very colourful murals on the walls of the alleyways.
This is definitely a village to visit again. Upon reaching the lane out of the village we could see that the actual road was closed due to roadworks so no wonder the village was so quiet. This lane really did need upgrading as it was subsiding due to all the runoff from the mountainside.
However the scenery was lovely, steep slopes and wonderful views across the lake.
Further along we could see the farming taking place along the lakes shores, again they had various different crops planted. We also passed coffee trees on the slopes that had coffee beans ready for picking.
The first village we passed through was San Pablo La Laguna. It was set back further from the shore, more up on the slope of the mountain and obviously didn’t have the same tourist visitors. This looked to be very much a village for the locals.
On further our lane was above the lakeside and again the views were lovely looking down on the small farming communities.
The fields were a patchwork of differing crops, we could see workers out amongst the fields some picking and gathering, some weeding and others digging.
We reached the entrance to the village of San Juan La Laguna, marked by a statue at the entrance.
Here we followed the little lanes towards the center and up the lanes towards the church at the top. We enjoyed the view from the top looking across at the view and looking inside the old church.
The church doors were impressively carved.
The Tz’utujil inhabitants obviously take pride in their craft traditions – particularly the paintings and weaving. The various murals depicting different aspects of Tz’utujil life and legend were wonderful.
They have also formed cooperatives of coffee growers, fishermen, organic farmers, natural dyers and weavers to help the whole community profit. We wandered off along the lanes enjoying the atmosphere of the village and all the wonderful crafts for sale.
Our lunch spot, the Rostro Maya Restaurante offered us a wonderful view across the lake and the food was very good.
We were going to walk to the next village, but could see the clouds were dropping and rain was on its way.
So we went and got a launcha back, just as well too as the rain fell and the skies clouded over. We covered about 8 miles that day, a bit less than before.
The following day was a dull rainy day, so we walked the lakeshore and in and about in Panajachel enjoying the sights and sounds. Even beautiful Lake Atitlan has dreary days.
We drove back to Guatemala City to the airport, returned the car and then went to our regular hotel.
We had enjoyed our holiday in the mountains and we’re ready to return to boat-work.
