Destination Guatemala : A SENSORY APPROACH TO LAKE ATITLÁN
The incredible mosaic of colors in fabrics, clays, necklaces, and güipiles (traditional woven blouses) that dazzles the eye; the intense flavor of traditional dishes; the ancestral languages that are music to the ear; the aroma of herbs and ceremonial chocolate; and the tactile pleasure of fabric textures turn the journey through the towns of Lake Atitlán into a feast for the senses.
Above : At the San Antonio Ceramics Workshop, Mrs. Zoila shows us the process of turning clay into fine pottery.
Sitting in the middle of a workshop full of multi-colored ceramics in San Antonio Palopó, I watch Zoila’s strong hands crush the clay with a rolling pin. Although the towns that ring Lake Atitlán preserve age-old traditions, Palopó ceramics are a more recent development. What interests and fascinates me on this windy morning are the colors of the clay. Using samples brought here from different regions and mountains of the country — yellow from the south, red from the west, black from the summit of the Tolimán volcano — the workshop’s artisans manage to create the broad spectrum of colors they need for their work. Bewitched by the enchantment of color, sight is the first sense vivified on this voyage of sensations.
The second sense is hearing, which is nudged awake by the sound of Kaqchikel — an ancestral Mayan language — lovingly preserved in this small town of just 15,000 inhabitants. It is one of the three Mayan languages spoken in the environs of Lake Atitlán. This is the language in which the women learned from their mothers, who in turn learned from their mothers, how to weave skirts on a back-strap loom and why they should proudly wear their güipiles, which constitute a legacy and a symbol of their identity. They learned modern techniques of firing ceramics at high temperatures from a U.S. potter, but the women were the ones who transformed the technique and chose the teardrop and the sky blue color—the color of the sky reflected in the timeless waters of Atitlán—as emblems.
We arrived in Atitlán in August, at the height of the rainy season, and the nights rumbled with the sound of what seemed to be celestial drums. Nonetheless, the days shone with the perfect light for touring the blue perimeter of the lake, losing ourselves among textiles and tuk-tuks (auto rickshaws), and discovering the streets and workshops of three of the ten towns dotted along the shores of the lake.”
Below: The best way to explore San Juan La Laguna is in a traditional tuk-tuk.
“With a perimeter measuring just over sixty miles, Lake Atitlán is home to several of the symbols that represent Guatemala: three volcanos, ten colonial towns, and of course, the living, breathing Maya culture.”
“In San Juan La Laguna, the birthplace of our guide, Guadalupe Navichoc, people speak Tz’utujil, one of Guatemala’s 22 Mayan languages.”
Our second stop was San Juan La Laguna, home to our guide, Guadalupe Navichoc, and land of Tz’utujil, another of the 22 Maya languages still spoken in Guatemala. Unlike the sky blue of San Antonio, the predominant tones here are reds and blacks and straight lines that bring to mind sacred writing distinguish the textiles.
San Juan is rightly known as an open-air museum. The more than forty murals adorning its walls depict Maya creation myths, the evolution of mathematics, and the permanence of an ancient calendar. They also celebrate illustrious figures who continue to inspire their people.
Guadalupe led us first to the Taller de Artesanía Maya, where we met Connie Tzep, a weaver whose hands preserve the wisdom transmitted from mother to daughter over millennia.
Above : In San Juan La Laguna, Connie Tzep guides us through the age-old process of transforming raw cotton into handwoven cloth.”
Above: The afternoon on Panajachel’s Santander Street is bustling with activity.”
Lake Atitlán conserves three of the 22 Mayan languages that are still in use today and that make up an indelible part of Guatemalan culture.
She revealed the secrets of thread from its origins: cotton that is cleaned, combed, and spun on spinning wheels, and then dyed with colors that seem to have been distilled from the earth and the sky. There is purple from beetroot, blue from rosemary, lilac from basil, indigo that varies in intensity depending on the phase of the moon when it is picked, orange from carrots, and pink from hibiscus. The colors are all fixed with liquid extracted from the stalks of plantains so that time cannot dull their brilliance. Kneeling in front of the back-strap loom, Connie turns out fabrics that will become skirts, ponchos, hammocks, and tablecloths. More than garments, they are invocations in thread, symbols of identity and belonging, a visual language that dialogues with nature and spirituality.
Our immersion in the Maya world continued with aromas. We visited a chocolate workshop, learned about chocolate’s sacred significance, and took deep breaths to allow the scents to penetrate all the way to our souls. We contentedly strolled along Calle de las Sombrillas, a bustling cultural and commercial avenue, as well as Sombreros, Panderos, and Café Streets, each one a microcosm of popular art and an opportunity to discover a truly authentic destination. We employed our sense of touch to appreciate the textures of the fabrics and trace the outlines of the twelve squares decorating the bodices of güipiles from San Juan.
“Below -strap weaving and honey products are two of the handicrafts available in San Juan La Laguna.”
Afternoon found us in Panajachel, the largest town near the lake, where Santander Street hums with cafés, bars, and handicraft stalls. Night fell with a scent of firewood, and the wind carried ancestral whispers. The crackling under the griddle situated us in the middle of a Maya ceremony, even though we were in the elegant gardens of Hotel Atitlán. “As a farewell gesture, we’re offering an age-old tradition”: celebrated Guatemalan chef Herson Pérez prepared a subanik, a broth of chiles, tomatoes, and herbs, used to bathe meat before folding it inside leaves and placing it in the embrace of fire.
Moonlight glistened off the waters of the lake as Herson braided cabagüe (edge-like fibers), replicating the gesture of the ancient Maya women. These ladies are not satisfied by the mere aromas of herbs or the extended cooking time; they also insist on blessing the family table with sacred touches. Putting that history of my mouth brought this sensory voyage full circle. The taste condensed all my memories together in one: that of the living, breathing Maya people.
Below : Chef Herson Pérez prepares the traditional subanik. Left: Herson braids the cabagüe to give the traditional touch to his plating.
IMPORTANT FACTS
- Lake Atitlán is reached a three hour drive or a 25-minute helicopter flight from Guatemala City.
- Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and watched over by three volcanoes, Atitlán was considered “the most beautiful lake in the world” by Alexander von Humboldt.
- The ten towns around the lake were indigenous strongholds during the Colonial Era.
- Panajachel is the largest town and the one with the most tourism infrastructure. Small water taxis to all of the other towns depart from here. Visitors can also take a spin around the perimeter of the lake in a tuk-tuk.
- This article was made possible through the support of Namu Travel Group, which took care of ground transportation, visits to sites of interest, and provided high-quality tourist guides.