Quetzaltenango Temple and Lake Atitlan - February 2023

Wednesday, we went to Quetzaltenango, over four hours away, to attend the temple and to see that part of Guatemala. .It was a beautiful day and we very much enjoyed our time in this beautiful temple.

From there, we drove over 2 hours to Lake Atitlan. It is a beautiful, large lake which has several old volcanoes around it.

Here are a few photos of where we stayed. This is one of 6 cabins in an area close to the beach.

Above is a view from the sitting area outside the upstairs bedroom. It was a beautiful area.

The dining room table and chairs were quite unique, having been taken from large trees in the area.

I thought I would throw in a picture of the living room and kitchen for memory's sake.

Thursday morning, we took a boat ride across the lake to a town they call San Juan. This is the area, walking distance from our cabin, from which we launched.

The lake is surrounded by mountains and it was interesting to me where some of the villages were built. This isn't the best view, but you can get a sense.

These are the two ladies who met us at our first stop and the one on the right became our tour guide.

These are the two ladies who met us at our first stop. The one on the right became our tour guide.

They are Mayan and dress the part. 

Our first stop was to a shop selling paintings and much of the work was very amazing. Why didn't I take any pictures of that? The paintings were all created by people belonging to a cooperative. I think they all share in the revenue somehow.

Our next stop was at a place that has bee hives and produces a number of products from the honey. The above photo was taken just outside their door. Obviously, selling to tourists is a big part of the local economy.

This photo was taken above the honey shop. We probably should have tried another angle to capture the bee they created which is at my right.

Next, we went to the fabric weaving shop where our two guides work. Here she is showing us how they make thread/yarn from cotton grown somewhere in the area. She later showed us how they dye and set the color using natural ingredients.

They don't use looms like we have seen. She fastens this around her waist with a belt and does her weaving kneeling on the floor. She said she started weaving at age 10. Others start at 8. She and others went to school so she knows Spanish and some English. Some get into the fabric production business young and don't go to school.

Here she is demonstrating various processes for preparing different yarns.

A tourist photo of us.

Our last stop was at a chocolate "factory". This is where a man demonstrated the process from harvesting cocoa beans to producing alcoholic beverages and chocolate. Very interesting.

Here is a look up the street from the chocolate shop. This is a fun street.

This is a model of what they believe the ancient village looked like. This historic site is called the Imxche Ruins/There were actually three sections occupied by three royal families.

Above is a ball field where they played the sport wherein they tried to put a hard rubber ball through a vertical hoop using their hips and knees. These were covered with leather for protection. Unlike the outcomes of these games as we saw in another location, the losers were not killed.

This is our tour guide. He spoke good English and knew a lot about the history of the location. 

This is just another section of the old city. The reason their aren't any complete building is that the Spaniards destroyed them when they came in to conquer. The indigenous people here made friends at first but later were put off by the demands of the Spaniards. Thus, an amazing civilization was destroyed.

For some reason, this young woman wanted pictures of the foreigners. I was late in taking a picture of the group. Her parents are on either side. We had a delightful two days.