A Tz'utujil village of painted streets where women's cooperatives dye thread with plants and weave on backstrap looms.
San Juan La Laguna is a small Tz'utujil Maya town on the lake's west shore, ten minutes by tuk-tuk from San Pedro, and the best place on the lake to see how textiles are made.
Its weaving cooperatives, run by local women, spin cotton, dye it with plants, bark and seeds, and weave on backstrap looms tied to a post and around the weaver's waist. Demonstrations are free; longer workshops let you dye or weave yourself.
The town is also known for its murals of village life, its painted streets, the shaded "umbrella street" and small cooperatives for coffee, honey, chocolate and medicinal plants.
Above the village, the stairs and trail of Mirador Kaqasiiwaan climb to a lookout over the lake. The view from above the village is the sunset.
An afternoon in San Juan.
Land at San Juan's dock or ride over from San Pedro, and walk up the main street.
Visit a weaving cooperative to see the plants that make each colour and the backstrap loom at work.
Wander the painted streets and murals, and the umbrella-shaded lane.
Stop at a coffee or chocolate cooperative for a tasting.
Climb to the lookout above town for sunset over the lake and volcanoes.
Public boats stop at San Juan on the Panajachel–San Pedro route; tuk-tuks run from San Pedro in ten minutes.
Dyeing and weaving workshops run a few hours; book a day ahead at the cooperative.
Last boats leave before dark; plan sunset with a tuk-tuk back to San Pedro.
Lake Atitlán practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
