Today, we will be exploring small villages around Lake Atitlan. There are 10 villages around the lake, named by the Spaniards for the Apostles. The lake is 1200 feet deep and 13 miles across. Three volcanoes surround the lake-Toliman, San Pedro, and Atitlan. The lake has risen over 8 feet in the last 10 years. Many expensive homes up to half million dollars are being built by the foreigner expats.
We visited Santiago Atitlan, which is known for its fabrics and intricate embroidery. We saw women doing their laundry in the lake. We wandered, and looked at the market wares, with very low prices, at least after haggling. It was fun to see how low you could get the price (and still not take advantage of the seller/artist). We met an older woman with an unusual hat on her head. When asked, she unwound it into about 20 yards of a thin strip of material, and wound it back on to show us how.
We took a ride in the back of a pickup to visit a shrine to the diety, Maximon, which switches family hosts every few months. The family guards and honors the deity statues. The shamans stay at the house and help with healing sick parishioners. They combine Maya dieties with Catholic saints in the carvings and decorations at churches.
After the village visit, we went by boat to another village for lunch, then back to Panajachel, and wandered the shops. Tomorrow is another traveling day.
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