Only a three-hour drive by car from Guatemala City, Lake Atitlan is a prime spot for tourists to visit. The roads leading to the area are good.
Thirteen villages lie along the shore, inhabited primarily by a native Mayan population of about 27,000 in 1950. One of them, Panajachel, has a market that attracts some tourists already; the others are less well-known. Some can be reached most quickly and conveniently by boat. The region has one of the highest poverty rates in the world.
Part of the charm of the area is that the lives of the people closely resemble those of their ancient ancestors. Local residents carry on traditions of interest to tourists. Weaving is a skill that every Mayan woman learns in order to make clothing for the family. Each village has a unique pattern of fabric used to make the costume of the women; sometimes the men have unique costumes as well. Textiles are available for sale in the form of scarves, blankets, and fine embroidery.
Some residents are skilled in other handicrafts and arts, such as painting, woodcarving, and jewelry-making. Weavers create floor mats from the local reeds and from tul, an underwater plant. Lake Atitlan's reed beds, the finest in the country, are owned or rented by individuals who harvest them for their own use or for sale.
Another aspect of the local tradition is the use of the lake as the community laundry. Almost any morning one can see local women washing the family's clothing on the rocks at the shore using homemade soap of pig fat and lye.
Mayan culture is based on a diet of corn, with tortillas and tamales being a menu staple. Farm fields can be seen high on the mountain slopes, where corn, beans, and squash are raised in a traditional manner. Some pesticides are used, but typically no fertilizer is added to the soil. Chicken and pork (never beef) may accompany the vegetarian fare, but perhaps only twice a week. Crab soup is a popular dish, and fish provide a major source of protein in the diet.
Some villages have other cash crops as well, such as onions, avocados, strawberries, and coffee. These crops are raised near the shore and are irrigated by pumping water from the lake as needed during the dry season.
Fish have traditionally been caught in woven wicker traps baited with corn. More recently, fishermen have used simple lines and hooks from their homemade dugout canoes. The use of nets is rare, as they are too expensive. Crab fishermen drag a line of multiple hooks through shallow water at night by torchlight or spear the crabs from their canoes.
Some villagers offer boat transport service across the lake. There are small hotels in some villages.
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