GUATEMALA
88 wanderlust.co.uk September 2019
farmerwhowisheduswellinCakchiquel,one
ofthemanyMayadialects.
TheyhavebeengrowingcoffeearoundAtitlán
for over 100 years, and we stopped off at a small
community-run finca. Here, coffee farmer Walfre
walked us through the whole organic process, from
plucking the ripe red berries, to shelling, washing
and drying the beans in the sun.
Our penultimate descent – with a break for lunch
- meant crossing the river via another, even more
dramatic hanging bridge. We then scrambled
upwards for our first view over shimmering Lake
Atitlán, before heading down through terraced
fields of flowers and vegetables to the lakeshore,
where the group parted and we said our goodbyes.
Set in a vast caldera, Lake Atitlán has seduced
many a traveller, including the oft-misquoted
writer Aldous Huxley, who always protested that
he had never described it as ‘the most beautiful lake
in the world’. Early the following morning, from my
vantage point on the terrace of Casa Palopó, as the
sun highlighted the velvety green curves of Tolimán
volcano and fishermen in rustic boats drifted silently
across its cobalt-blue expanse, it was hard to see why
Huxley would ever deny such a thing.
The lakeshore is fringed with Maya villages,
each with its own distinct character. The largest
is Panajachel (or Pana), the transport hub, with its
main street lined with handicraft stalls, bars and
restaurants, while Santiago Atitlán has a strong
indigenous culture and is home to a roving
Maximón, who moves to a different house every
year. Of the ‘La Laguna’ towns, San Marcos is
‘Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó
is aiming to turn the village into
a monumental piece of art’
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