Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Museo Lacustre Atitlán
(Calle Santander; admission Q35; 8am-6pm)
Inside the Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo, this mu-
seum has displays on the history of the Atitlán region and the volcanic eruptions that cre-
ated its landscape, plus a collection of ancient artifacts recovered from the lake. A new
section of the museum covers Samabaj, an ancient ceremonial center discovered at the
bottom of the lake near Cerro de Oro.
MUSEUM
La Galería
GALLERY
( 7762-2432; panagaleria@hotmail.com; Calle Rancho Grande; 9am-noon & 2-6pm Wed-Mon)
Overflowing with art by Guatemalan painters and sculptors, this gallery functions as both
an exhibit space and cultural center, hosting lectures, films and occasional concerts. Star-
ted in 1971 by Nan Cuz, an indigenous Guatemalan painter who grew up in Germany, the
gallery has canvases by some 500 painters. Among them are a number of the hallucinatory
landscapes that garnered Cuz recognition in the European art world.
Casa Cakchiquel
ARTS CENTER
(Calle 14 de Febrero; 7:30am-7pm; )
Pana's new cultural center started life as one of the first
hotels on the lake, built by a Swedish countess in 1948. Now it holds a radio station, cafe,
indigenous crafts shop, cinema and a gallery of photos and postcards of Atitlán in simpler
times, when steamboats plied the lake.
During its 1950s heyday such illustrious guests as Ingrid Bergman, Aldous Huxley and
Ernesto 'Che' Guevara chatted around the fireplace.
Reserva Natural Atitlán
( 7762-2565;
www.atitlanreserva.com
; adult/child Q45/25; 8am-5pm)
A former coffee plantation be-
ing retaken by natural vegetation, this reserve is 200m past the Hotel Atitlán on the north-
ern outskirts of town. It makes a good outing on foot or bicycle. You can leisurely walk
the main trail in an hour: it leads up over swing bridges to a waterfall, then down to a plat-
form for viewing local spider monkeys. You may see
pisotes
(coatis)
,
relatives of the rac-
coon with long snouts and long, furry tails. The reserve includes a butterfly enclosure and
herb garden, an interpretive center, zip lines, a small shade coffee plantation and an aviary.
For longer stays, there are some excellent rooms with private decks, and a campground.
PARK
