Hillside Village Above Lake Atitlán Near Santa Cruz La Laguna

Santa Cruz La Laguna sits on the northern shore of Lake Atitlán, built into terrain so steep that many homes are reachable only by footpath or boat. The lake itself fills a volcanic caldera formed roughly 84,000 years ago and reaches depths of more than 1,000 feet in places, making it one of the deepest lakes in Central America. Small docks along this stretch of coast link the village to Panajachel and other lakeshore communities, since a paved road connecting Santa Cruz to the rest of the region wasn't completed until the 2010s. The surrounding slopes are planted with coffee and corn, crops that remain central to the local Kaqchikel Maya economy.

Taken March 2020