Two Girls From Texas in a Car: VISITING SMALL TOWNS AROUND ANTIGUA AND ATITLAN LAKE

Preparing for Holy Week

CIUDAD VIEJA

Seven kilometers southwest of Antigua along the Escuintla road is Ciudad Vieja (Old City).

This city was near the first site of the capital. Founded in 1527, it met its demise 14 years later when Volcan Agua let loose a flood of water , creating a huge mudslide. Only the ruins of La Concepcion church remained.

Women washing clothes in the city center

SAN MIGUEL ESCOBAR

This is the actual site of the former capital and is a bit to the East. The church in the square was one of the original churches.

SAN ANTONIO AGUAS CALIENTES

This tranquil village surrounded by farmed volcanic slopes is noted for its textiles, and the Mercado de Artesanias (handicrafts market) stands prominently beside the town hall.

Women work on looms. Ceremonial huipiles, embroidered on both sides are beautiful and expensive.

SAN JUAN DEL OBISPO

We visited a beautiful convent. The nuns maintain the history of the local religious founders.

They also make chocolate "bricks" that can be soaked in hot water, or hot milk to produce a fine chocolate drink.

VALHALLA MACADAMIA FARM

This farm raises 300 species of the macadamia not. We toured this organic, sustainable agriculture project. The remarkable nut produces oils and cosmetics made from the harvest.

We ate pancakes under a lush tropical foliage, made from macadamia flour.

LAGO DE ATITLAN

Though volcanic explosions have been going on here for millions of years, today's landscape has its origins in the massive eruption of 85,000 years ago, termed Los Chocoyos, which blew volcanic ash as far as Florida and Panama. The quantity of magma expelled from below the earth's crust caused the surface terrain to collapse, forming a huge, circular hollow that filled with water - Lago de Atitlan. Three volcanos surround the lake - Volcan San Pedro 9,908 feet high; Volcan Atitlan 11,604 feet high;

and Volcan Toliman 10,360 feet high; the lake is 5 miles across from north to south; 10 miles from east to west, and averages around 950 feet deep, although the water level has been on the rise since 2009.

We chose the busiest day of the year to visit the lake..the Saturday before Easter.

Today, the main lakeside town is Panjachel or "Gringotenango" as it is unkindly called - most people initially head here to launch their Atitlan explorations. We, of course , launched our excursion from here.

We went to Santa Cruz La Laguna which is an artist's community. They are know for their fine weaving, and beautiful art work.