Xocomil is a weather phenomenon in Lake Atitlan,

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

Causes

Xocomil is created by air pressure or temperature differences between the lake and the surrounding mountains. It usually develops around noon, and it becomes impossible for boats to sail when this phenomenon begins.

Mythology

One local legend is about a

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

couple. A Kaqchiquel warrior Utzil ran away with the

K'iche' K'iche', K'ichee', or Quiché may refer to: * K'iche' people of Guatemala, a subgroup of the Maya *K'iche' language, a Maya language spoken by the K'iche' people **Classical K'iche' language, the 16th century form of the K'iche' language *Kʼicheʼ ...

princess Zacar, and were chased by her people. Utzil went to look for help from a

caiman A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America fro ...

to cross the lake, but found the princess dead when he returned. He then took her body and threw himself into the lake. In the afternoons, the couple plays in the lake and the xocomil blows so they can be left alone.

References

Weather hazards Weather events in South America {{weather-stub