Excursion To Lake Atitlán Enbote

Day 1

Visit Santiago and the beautiful shore of Lake Atitlán

• We will go to the west of the country where most of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala are concentrated. On the way to our destination, we will start in a wooded area surrounded by pine trees and other species of trees. Continuing our journey, we will see a valley where a variety of vegetables are grown, as well as fruits and vegetables grown by the local people.
• Upon reaching Panajachel, we will take a public boat to cross Lake Atitlán and visit Santiago Atitlán, where you will learn about the local saint “Maximon”. He is a nahual of the Tz'utujiles of Santiago Atitlán and is revered as the “guardian protector” of the Tz'utujil people given their status as a colonized people.
• Popular tradition refers to the fact that this character is a “palo de pito” or “tz'atel” tree, a common tree in the regions of Mesoamerica, which in mythological times was also proposed as a protective guardian of the people.
• Santiago is the most popular lakeside settlement outside of Panajachel, and many Atitecos (as its people are known) cling to the traditional Mayan Tz'utujil lifestyle. Women weave and wear huipiles (tunics) embroidered with brightly colored birds and flowers, and the city's brotherhoods maintain the ceremonies and rituals of the tradition, syncretic traditions, and practices of Mayan Catholicism. There is also a great arts and crafts scene here.
• At the end of our walk through the city, we will take a public boat to transfer back to Panajachel.
• In Panajachel, you will have a delicious lunch (not included). Explore the town of Panajachel, a pre-Columbian city of Kakchiquel origin, settled next to the river with the same name and on the shore of Lake Atitlán.
• At the end of your lunch, you will be returned to your hotel.