Into the Mayan Community

San Juan de la Laguna is the place where our guides Ana and Sebastian come from.

It is a town located on the west side of the majestic Lake Atitlan, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. A Nahuatl word, Atitlán translates to “the place where the rainbow gets its colors.” San Juan La Laguna is known for a quiet town, with a great artisan wealth, with its women weavers, with people dedicated to art and for its unique landscapes.

San Juan La Laguna is populated by an ethnic group called the Tz’utujil, one of 21 Maya ethnic groups. The Tz’utujil speak a language of the same name, Tz’utuijil, and share the coast of Lake Atitlán with another Maya ethnic group, the Kaqchikel.

The Tzʼutujil are noted for their continuing adherence to traditional Atiteco cultural and religious practices. Weaving and traditional songs are historically religiously significant practices.

In Tz’utujil communities, spirits are believed to control the natural world, other spirits, and people’s destinies.Traditional customs come from Nawals, which are spirits known as “Ancient Ones”. The “Ancient Ones” are believed to be ancient Tz’utujil people who gained divine status.