A Bench Overlooking Lake Atitlán Near San Marcos

Lake Atitlán fills a volcanic caldera in Guatemala's western highlands, formed by an eruption roughly 84,000 years ago. At more than 320 meters deep in places, it ranks among the deepest lakes in Central America. Three volcanoes — Atitlán, Tolimán, and San Pedro — rise along its southern shore. San Marcos La Laguna, one of several small Kaqchikel and Tz'utujil villages ringing the lake, is reachable mainly by boat or by footpaths like this one that follow the shoreline between towns.