Santa Catarina Palopo

Child selling trinkets in the streets of Santa Catarina

"Palopo" is a word that is tagged on to the names of two villages on Lake Atitlan: Santa Catalina Palopo and San Antonio Palopo. "Palopo" is derived from the Spanish word "palo" which means stick or tree. "Po" however is also from the Maya dialect Kaqchikel which means "amate," a type of native tree in the area.

Santa Catalina is a small town and its 3,000 inhabitants are almost entirely indigenous. The dress of inhabitants is extraordinary with rich blues (turquoise), purples, and greens that have a zigzag patten. The women wear striking headgear.

Women selling wares at the Festival

I had not been to Santa Catalina Palopo which is to the west of Panajachel. I had read an announcement on a tuk-tuk that there was a village festival taking place there on Saturday, March 21st. I asked my French Swiss friend Bernadette if she would like to venture over there with me, and to my delight, she accepted.

We took a picop from Pana at 11:00 in the morning over to Santa Catalina. The festival was held at the central plaza where a small lovely white church was located. The only recorded date of this church is on its bell, 1762. The festival was dedicated to Lake Atitlan's women. It was a celebration of all women (mostly indigenous) who were involved in undertakings that improved the quality of their lives. There were women from weaving and organic product cooperatives as well as social activists who helped women protect themselves from domestic violence.

Woman displaying the ware that this cooperative made and sold

Bernadette with a Guatemalan woman she has volunteered with

During the festival I wandered into the church and noticed a group of young people there. The men were shirtless which I found very disrespectful. I was about to approach them and inform them in English that it was offensive to the native people to go into churches with little clothing on, but just before I was about to address them, I overheard them speak fluent Spanish! I thought they were naive gringos but Guatemalans? Anyway, I thought better and kept my mouth shut. In any case, I found the episode odd.

Inside the church of Santa Catalina.
This platform will be carried in a holy week procession.
The woman is cleaning the church.

Bernadette and I had a regular lunch at a local restaurant on the edge of the beach. We later hiked back on the less traveled highway to Panajachel. We had had great fun that day.

View from the road between Santa Catarina and Panajachel