A Kaqchikel town of houses painted with huipil designs, backstrap-loom weaving, hot springs and lookouts over the lake, minutes from Panajachel.
The lake's town painted in blue
Santa Catarina Palopó is a small Kaqchikel town on the lakeshore, a few kilometers from Panajachel. Since 2016 its façades have been painted with murals inspired by huipil (traditional woven blouse) designs, with blue as the color that honors the lake and the weaving of its women. In 2023 INGUAT named it a Pueblo Pintoresco (Picturesque Town).
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The first to arrive found the lake, the volcanoes and the forest; others came after, and each arrival left its mark.
Sources: guatemala.com · deguate.com · atitlanvida.com · prensalibre.com · prensalibre.com · es.wikipedia.org
Façades turned into murals with huipil designs, corn, quetzal birds and volcanoes, with blue as the dominant color.
Free; best in the morning, and ask permission before photographing people (Atitlán Vida).Getting there →Colonial church facing the square, the center of community life and of the town's fiestas.
Getting there →
Hot spring pools beside the lake; one is near the town and the other can only be reached by boat or canoe.
Free according to Atitlán Vida; best in the morning.Getting there →
A short, steep climb with a view of the lake between the Tolimán and Atitlán volcanoes.
Free (Atitlán Vida).Getting there →
The project's space explaining the patterns, hierarchy and symbolism of women's and men's dress.
Free entry with voluntary donation; irregular hours (Atitlán Vida).Getting there →A shore where you can swim, fish, catch crabs and take photos of the lake.
Getting there →Dirt roads with flora, fauna, lake views, a lookout and a small waterfall.
Getting there →Sources: atitlanvida.com · deguate.com · alongdustyroads.com
Santa Catalina de Alejandría: November 25 (main day; Atitlán Vida notes it is usually celebrated from November 24 to 26). The November fair combines Mass, processions, music and traditional dances such as the Toritos, Mexicanos, Negritos, Monos, Gracejos, Moros del Tun, La Sierpe and Moros de la Marimba. Backstrap-loom weaving is alive throughout the town and is sold at family stalls and cooperatives; the Pintando y Tejiendo Santa Catarina project links it to the street murals.
Sources: guatemala.com · atitlanvida.com · prensalibre.com
Women weave the whole family's clothing on the backstrap loom: a three-panel huipil (traditional woven blouse) brocaded in cotton, a corte (wrap skirt), an embroidered sash, a hair ribbon and a servilleta (cloth) or baby-carrying cloth; today blue and turquoise tones dominate, while the ancestors' dress was red and white, without figures. The traditional men's dress features a white shirt with stripes and brocade, patterned trousers, a red sash, a straw hat with a tzute (headcloth) and a black-and-white checked wool blanket at the waist; sources don't confirm how much it is worn today.
Sources: guatemala.com · atitlanvida.com · alongdustyroads.com
The sources consulted record no dish of the town's own. Facing the lake there are eateries and restaurants with views, and Deguate suggests making a sancoche (hearty stew) or a picnic on the public beach.
Sources: deguate.com · atitlanvida.com
Hotel boutique de lujo en la ladera sobre el lago, con suites, villa con piscina privada, spa y dos restaurantes; distinguido con una Llave Michelin.
Restaurante del hotel Casa Palopó con cocina contemporánea basada en ingredientes y tradiciones culinarias guatemaltecas, con vista a lago y volcanes.
Restaurante de Casa Palopó a la orilla del lago, especializado en carnes y pescados cocinados al fuego.
Hotel boutique de siete habitaciones sobre el lago, con piscina infinita, sauna de leña y restaurante con vista a los volcanes.
Hotel de la cadena Villas de Guatemala junto al muelle, con jardines, piscina de agua termal, restaurante y salón de eventos.
Restaurante y café en los jardines del Hotel Villa Santa Catarina, junto al muelle, con cocina guatemalteca.
Pequeña cafetería en la plaza central que sirve café cultivado en la zona, con opciones de leche vegetal.
Restaurante familiar en un tercer piso con vista al pueblo y al lago, platillos tradicionales y un pequeño museo familiar.
Restaurante con mesas al aire libre a pasos del muelle de Santa Catarina Palopó.
Bar a la orilla del lago recomendado para tomar algo al atardecer.
Cafetería sobre la carretera hacia Panajachel, cerca del mirador principal del pueblo.
Centro cultural con información sobre historia kaqchikel, tienda de textiles de una cooperativa de mujeres y café en el último piso.
Proyecto comunitario que pintó cientos de casas con motivos tradicionales; su sede muestra el significado de colores y símbolos.
Tienda de artesanías en la calle que baja al lago; sus ventas apoyan a una escuela local.
Templo católico colonial frente a la plaza central, centro de la fiesta patronal del 25 de noviembre.
Pozas de agua termal natural en la orilla del lago, de acceso libre por sendero rocoso o en lancha.
Mirador principal del pueblo con vista al lago y a los volcanes, sobre la carretera hacia Panajachel.
Plaza principal del pueblo; el domingo es día tradicional de mercado y hay un mercado de verduras detrás de la iglesia.
Embarcadero del pueblo junto al Hotel Villa Santa Catarina, punto de partida del sendero a las aguas termales.
