Scenic Photos from Guatemala

Lago Atitlán is so phenomenally beautiful; surrounded by fjords and volcanos that plummet into the lake, she rivals the rocky cliffs of Big Sur, California. Formed some 85,000 years ago during a volcanic eruption, a massive sunken caldera became Lago Atitlán. It covers approximately 126 square kilometers or 31,136 acres and has been estimated to be between 350 and 650 meters deep. Jetskis are just starting to appear, and boat traffic is increasing, but Lago Atitlán so far has endured. The Mayans have been here for approximately 2000 years, and although there are the inherent problems with waste management and a third-world economy, the lake remains a viable and surprisingly clean resource for the people and avifauna who depend on it. It only takes a short while to become enraptured with the mystery and vitality of life this region supports.

San Juan La Laguna

San Juan La Laguna is the neighboring town to San Pedro La Laguna. They have a really good mayor, they keep their streets clean, and have the most intact and beautiful marsh on the lake; they enforce the prohibition on duck hunting, they have a good recycling program, and have turned some of it into art, as you can see above. Those are all plastic bottles retrieved from the lakeside and put into the artsy wooden structure as a reminder of all the trash that could be in the lake.

The picture of the old avocado tree struck me, because I didn’t know avocado trees originated in Guatemala. We have avocados of all types all year round and they cost about 20 cents each, sometimes less. The picture of the marsh and beach of San Juan La Laguna was taken from the road above as we were leaving.

I have made two videos of San Juan La Laguna that are up on my channel at Youtube, here and here.

There are other birding videos of mine at my channel that don’t have music, so you can hear the birds and the natural sounds. I only added music where there was a lot of other noise, such as boats, trucks, or farmers pumping water. If you really want to see what Lago Atitlán looks like, some of the videos give a nice perspective. I am still learning to use my video camera and the software to make the movies, but each movie that I made got a little better; I normally use a tripod, so hopefully you won’t feel seasick watching them.