“The most beautiful lake in the world,” is what Aldous Huxley said about Lake Atitlán. The Mayan translation of Atitlán is, “the place where the rainbow gets its colors.” Located in the highlands of Guatemala at 5000 feet above sea level is only an hour and half drive to the Pacific Ocean. The lake is 54 square miles on the surface and has depths up to 1100 feet. Three volcanoes surround the lake, Toliman, Atitlán and San Pedro. The formation of Lake Atitlán is said to be from a collapsed caldera from over a million years ago. Underwater there has been Mayan ruins found, the locations called Sambaj and Chiutinamit. Along the shores of Santa Catarina and San Antonio hot springs can be found in the water. Around the lake small Mayan Indian villages reside, mostly of the Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel origen. A lot fo the indigenous people grow Coffee, Corn, avacodos, onion and pitaya(dragon fruit) in the region. Panajachel is more of a tourist spot with plenty of hotels and restaurants. It is a gateway where the boats leave from to arrive at the neighboring villages.
Pictures of Lake Atitlán
