Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan is located three hours by car to the west of Guatemala City. It is reputed by its visitors and by its residents to be the most beautiful lake in the world. The author Aldous Huxley wrote "Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlan is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing." Lake Atitlan draws thousands of tourists and vacationers every year and is home to the thirteen villages that ring its shores. The northern villages of the lake speak Kaqchikel. Along the southern shores of the lake, Tzutujil is spoken. The largest of the villages is Panajachel, which is known for its market. Many of the farmers and weavers of the lake villages travel weekly to Panajachel to sell their wares.The lake is large, 18 x 12 kilometers (11 x 7.5 miles) at its widest point. Lake Atitlan is unusual in that it has no visible draining or runoff points. It is probable that the lake drains through a network of underground rivers and streams. Mornings at the lake are characterized by a calm, clear surface. However, in the afternoons, the xocomil, the "wind that carries away sin" rises up and makes travel on the lake treacherous.
Recently, black bass were introduced to the lake in an attempt to attract and build a sport-fishing industry. However, this has resulted in tragic effects on the environment of the lake region and the economy of the surrounding villages. The bass have destroyed the local population of small native fishes and crabs. This in turn has caused the death of the fishing industry in some of the villages that ring the lake, most notably Santa Catarina Palopo. Unfortunately, the introduction of the bass did not bring about the anticipated changes in the tourist industry of the lake, and the region has suffered harsh economic effects.