Santa Catarina Palopó is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Sololá department __NOTOC__ Sololá is a city in Guatemala. It is the capital of the department of Sololá and the administrative seat of Sololá municipality. It is located close to Lake Atitlan. The name is a Hispanicized form of its pre-Columbian name, one sp ...

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. The municipality is located on the shores of Lake Atitlán, approximately 3 miles southeast of

Panajachel Panajachel (, Pana) is a town in the southwestern part of the Guatemalan Highlands, less than from Guatemala City, in the Departments of Guatemala, department of Sololá (department), Sololá. It serves as the administrative centre for the surro ...

, a popular tourist destination. To its southeast is San Antonio Palopó. The three aforementioned towns are connected by one paved road, which runs directly through Santa Catarina Palopó.

Demographics

The population of Santa Catarina Palopó is approximately 5,000 according to a 2011 census conducted by the town administration. The vast majority of the residents of the town are indigenous, descending from the Kaqchikel

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

. Kaqchikel is the most common language spoken in the village, though

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

is widely understood.

Subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...

and fishing are the means of survival for most families within the community, however, a recently spurred tourist industry has created a market for souvenir style goods and services. Perhaps the most easily recognizable characteristic of Santa Catarina Palopó is the blue

huipil ''Huipil'' (Nahuatl: ''huīpīlli'' ; Ch'orti': ''b’ujk''; Chuj: ''nip'') is the most common traditional garment worn by indigenous women from central Mexico to Central America. It is a loose-fitting tunic, generally made from two or three ...

, or blouse, which is worn prominently by the women of the community. Since the

has been worn since the 16th century, it may seem to be a particularly indigenous trait, but the blue style is, however, the result of very recent external influences. ''Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó'' is a project located in the town. Its purpose is to paint houses and buildings to improve the appearance of the town. Families choose the base colors and details to paint their houses with. The details depict animals such as deer and birds. "Proyecto"
"Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó", 2018

Climate

Santa Catarina Palopó has a tropical climate with stable temperatures throughout the year; (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: ''Aw'').

Things to do

Despite its small size there are some sights to visit in Santa Catarina. The village has a museum which shows the culture of the place. Inside the village is a

Confraternity A confraternity (; ) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most common among Catholics, Lu ...

, that is presenting information about the Guatemalan Catholic saints. On the Church Plaza, which is the main square, locally produced

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

is being sold. Multiple restaurants are located around the main street, especially close to the Hotel Villa Santa Catarina, that is located close to the lake and the pier. Furthermore, the village has various street shops selling traditional Kaqchikel clothes, which is one of the main sources of income for the locals. From the pier, the lake and the three volcanoes can be seen, especially in the early morning, just after the sunrise, when the weather is very clear.

References

External links

Municipalities of the Sololá Department {{Guatemala-geo-stub