Maximón is one of Guatemala’s most popular Mayan folk saints, worshipped in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. Some believe Maximón, also known as San Simón, to be an incarnation of the Mayan god of sexuality, while others think he was a Spanish priest. An effigy of Maximón in the town of Santiago Atitán is celebrated year round.
Located in the Central Highlands of Guatemala is the beautiful Lake Atitlán. At 320m, Lake Atitlán, formedby the collapse of a volcano cone, is the deepest lake in Central America. The lake is surrounded by mountains and three volcanoes, and several villages dot its shores. The villages are inhabited by Maya, mainly Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel, who still dress in their traditional costumes and share their villages with the tourists who come for the stunning scenery and atmosphere of the lake.
Following our reflections on 200 days of travel, here are the tops and flops of our last 100 days on the road:
Need a cheap hotel? This weekly series focuses on budget accommodation gems we discover while on the road. This week: The Yellow House in Antigua, Guatemala.
We had just gotten to Guatemala and stayed in the city of Flores for a couple of days, which is actually a beautiful island in Lake Peten Itza. One day, as we sat on the dock just soaking up the sun, an Guatemalan ‘anciano’ (or really old man) came over and started to chat with us. He introduced himself as ‘Miguel de San Miguel’, Miguel from San Miguel, a little village on the other side of the lake.
Todos Santos Cuchumatan is a village in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, and the Mam Mayans make up by far the largest part of its population.
When we heard about Finca Filadelfia, a coffee farm near Antigua that apparently makes some of the best coffee in all of Guatemala, we decided to take a tour of the farm and learn how high quality coffee is grown and processed, plus how to serve it up right.
Seven years after living two years in Antigua, Guatemala, Jess from the Globetrottergirls returns to discover what’s new and what has endured as the best places to eat, drink, chill and stay in and around Antigua, Guatemala.