Archive for Lake Atitlán

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A Walking Tour of

A Walking Tour of “Old” Panajachel

Panajachel is firstly a walking city. If you drive in it, you soon tire of the paucity of two-way streets. And every rocky contour of those streets registers on the pant-seat of every chicken-bus rider. Tuktuks look fun, until you actually ride in one. And much of Pana is not overly bike-friendly. So, unless pogo sticks catch on, feet remain the preferred vehicle.

Festival Atitlán

Festival Atitlán

The Festival Atitlán returns for its 9th year, once again celebrating springtime with music, dance, theatre, graphic art displays and workshops, plus a great kid section, and a promise of a beautiful day with family and friends outdoors on the shores of Lake Atitlán. As is the custom, the proceeds are donated to a local [...]

The Blooming of Lake Atitlán

The Blooming of Lake Atitlán

Panajachel unites and digs with defiance
In The Green Felt Jungle, the story is told of a dapper man in pinstripes who rides a Cadillac into Las Vegas one night, seeking the neonized excitement of that gilded city. But he finds little more than a dreary gas station.
“Where is Las Vegas?” he asks the Navajo attendant.
“Right [...]

Ursula Baumann

Ursula Baumann

Art Exhibit and Auction, Thurs., May 14, 7 pm. Theatre El Chapiteau, Panajachel, Lake Atitlán
A host of Guatemalans, including four-footed ones, are glad that Ursula Baumann changed continents and careers in 1998.
She had been an able but often bored hotel manager in her native Switzerland. For decades she dreamt of making her [...]

Semana Santa on the Lake: San Pedro La Laguna

Semana Santa on the Lake: San Pedro La Laguna

written by Ana Flinder
Semana Santa is undoubtedly the most festive week of the year in Guatemala, celebrated with the most pomp and grandeur in La Antigua, and with deeply traditional ceremonies and indigenous style in Santiago Atitlán. Both of these destinations require advanced bookings for lodging but are not the only places to experience a Guatemalan [...]

Semana Santa on the Lake: Santiago Atitlán

Semana Santa on the Lake: Santiago Atitlán

written by Ana Flinder
Those of you who have your place to stay in La Antigua Guatemala for Semana Santa are sure to enjoy what is known as the second-biggest and most spectacular Semana Santa celebration in the world. (Second only to Sevilla, Spain, so they say.) And you know who you are. Because they also [...]

The Festival of Consciousness 2009

Written by María Elisa Murray
Presenting new solutions for a better world
What does it mean to be conscious? How conscious are we in our lives? How can we become more conscious as individuals, as a community, as a planet?
To answer these questions and more, the inaugural Festival of Consciousness will be held in San Marcos [...]

La Cambalacha Youth Art Initiative

La Cambalacha Youth Art Initiative

Text and photos by Jennifer Block
Restoring creative expression through direct action, Gabriela Cordón aims to transform Guatemala’s educational system via her youth arts initiative.
You’d be forgiven for thinking La Cambalacha is just another summer camp for kids. The place spills forth with color and laughter. On stage, a group of children practice a clown routine; [...]

Festival Atitlán

Festival Atitlán

March is coming, time for Festival Atitlán. On March 14, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Santiago Atitlán will once again host this annual alternative cultural event featuring live music and arts. Since 2001, there have been six festivals, each one more interesting than the last. Proceeds from the past four festivals have been donated to help rebuild Hospitalito Atitlán, which was destroyed by mudslides from Hurricane Stan in 2005.

Birthday Parties

Birthday Parties

My sons are still in their cavity-prone years, so I attended 19 birthday parties last year—three for my boys and 16 for their playmates. Each had its odd turn or twist. To avoid the charge of ethnocentrism, I’ll admit here that Central Americans do no worse a job of honoring their birthday boys and girls [...]

Just call me Indio

Just call me Indio

One of Panajachel’s most colorful and asked-about personages, tourists and locals know him as a master craftsman who sells his own handiwork.
Self-promoter, religious huckster, iconoclast, “loco”—Francisco Quiej has been called all these things; none is anywhere near the truth. “Indio” is what he calls himself, even though his fellow Mayas consider the term an insult.
This [...]