“At the water" is the meaning of the word "Atitlán". It is a fusion of simple Nahuatl words that barely touches the complexity of the entity it identifies.
Lake Atitlán is both a place and an event in motion. Its life incorporates the visually stunning character of one of nature’s most ambitious creations and the extraordinarily diverse cultural character of the human life that the lake has drawn to its shores.
Lake Atitlán is both a place and an event in motion. Its life incorporates the visually stunning character of one of nature’s most ambitious creations and the extraordinarily diverse cultural character of the human life that the lake has drawn to its shores.
Atitlán was born violently, long ago, before the emergence of man. Scientists still speculate as to the exact nature of its birth, an event which created a nearly circular depression of 11 miles in diameter, 95 square miles of area, and over 1,000 feet deep.
Whatever the cause, the result was a unique micro-environment that has been drawing wanderers to its shores for at least thousands of years. Cultures have clashed to control it. Vagabonds have been absorbed by it, laid down roots, and quite “moving on”. Traveling notables have been overwhelmed by its beauty and written about it in the loftiest of terms.
Whatever the cause, the result was a unique micro-environment that has been drawing wanderers to its shores for at least thousands of years. Cultures have clashed to control it. Vagabonds have been absorbed by it, laid down roots, and quite “moving on”. Traveling notables have been overwhelmed by its beauty and written about it in the loftiest of terms.
Our cultural service is an outgrowth of Richard Morgan’s fascination with the subject and his desire to share the results of his study of the lake with others who have the same interest but, perhaps, less time for personal investigation.
