Panajachel [3] (or Pana as the locals call it) on Lake Atitlán at 1500 metres made a good base to explore the villages scattered around the lake. We enjoyed our stay at the Posada de los Volcanes hotel. For Mayans “Atitlan” means “the place where the rainbow gets its colours” and it is a beautiful place. On a clear day 3 magnificent volcanos, San Pedro, Tolimán and Atitlán can be seen towering over the lake. The village is all about tourism, shops and stalls full of all sorts of colourful souvenirs line the streets – the main street is 10 “no gracias” long.

.

Sunday is market day at Santiago Atitlán on the other side of the lake. By the time we arrived on the chicken boat the village was bustling with men, women and children, most dressed in traditional attire unique to the village. The men wear knee length woven cotton pants, some with stripes, others with an intricately embroidered pattern around the bottom, an embroidered sash, long sleeve shirt and finished off with a cowboy hat. The women´s blouses have an exquisite embroidered pattern such as birds or flowers around the neck. They wear these with a bright woven, wrap around skirt, tied up with an embroidered sash with a colourful shawl over the shoulder. We sat and listened to the melodious sounds of hymns coming from the overflowing 1547 church just off the main square.

.

On Monday we went by boat, which only goes when it is full, to the villages of San Pedro La Laguna and San Marcos La Laguna. San Pedro sits below the volcano of the same name. Both villages have significant populations of feral gringos and instead of beauty and tranquillity had a creepy feel. The women of San Pedro wear lovely coordinated blouses, skirts and aprons, quite different to Santiago just a few kilometres away.

.

Carlos, we called him Caro (expensive) because he charged gringo prices, took us in his tuk tuk to the lakeside villages of Santa Catarina Palopó and San Antonio Palopó. The women of both villages weave and wear brilliant blue – the colour of the lake.

.