Panajachel

Panajachel is a town in the southwestern Guatemalan Highlands, located on the northeast shore of Lake Atitlán. The town has become popular with tourists on a Guatemala vacation because it provides the opportunity to cross the lake to visit neighbouring towns and villages.

In the 16th century, during the Spanish conquest of Guatemala, the shores of Lake Atitlán witnessed a great battle which saw the Kaqchikel people ally with the Spanish to defeat the Tz’utujil people. The result was that the Spanish were able to take over the area and quickly established a church and monastery thus Panajachel became a base for converting the local people to Roman Catholicism.  

During the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the town became increasingly popular with backpacking tourists and was one of the earliest stops on the famed “hippie trail”. Today this popularity continues but not just with backpackers on Guatemala vacations. Panajachel’s economy is primarily based on tourism.