I always enjoy taking a few hours to visit Santiago Atitlan across the lake from Panajachel. It means a very enjoyable boat trip and a chance to at least see some of my favorite huipils. The women in this village decorate them with glorious birds of...

Thursday was market day in Chichicastenango. I opted not staying there all night this trip as I didn't need any more huipils. My first stop, as usual, was to the Hotel Santo Tomas for pancakes. Luckily the parrots were out this trip. The hotel is...

One of my goals on this trip was to visit Olga Maritza, the student I have been sponsoring in a Panajachel school. She is the girl on the left with the blue tee shirt. Olga's mother, Christina, is 37 years old and has 6 daughters. Christina works as a...

Click here to see the aftermath of last weekend's violence in Panajachel. http://mayanfamilies-sharon.blogspot.com/2009/12/aftermath-of-violence-in-panajachel.html

The gorgeous lake was mostly misty without good views during most of my visit. Because of the runoff from fertilizer and sewage around the lake there is a huge "slime" problem which has hit the news recently. You can see the slime beginning at least...