Santiago Atitlan | An Essential Travel Guide
Planning a day trip or stay in Santiago Atitlan, one of the Lake Atitlan towns?
Our essentials guide has got you covered!
Those travellers that make it to Santiago Atitlán come in search of one thing: a chain-smoking, hard-drinking, womaniser.
He also happens to be a saint.
One of the largest towns on Lake Atitlán, the place most just call ‘Santiago’ is nestled along a secluded inlet on the southern shore, relatively isolated from other lakeside communities.
Volcán San Pedro towards above it across the water, whilst several peaks lurk behind.
It's largely populated by the Tz’utujil, one of the 22 distinct Maya ethnic groups in Guatemala, and offers a more authentic, cultural, and less touristy experience compared to San Pedro and San Marcos. The predominant language is Tz’utujil, and it’s one of the few places here where you’ll still see men in traditional dress quite often.
There's a few day trippers and tour groups, mostly coming to see the saint, but nothing is really set-up or dictated around them yet, and there’s just a handful of accommodation options.
We headed over there with Gaspar, a local contact, to visit a couple of schools we support and wander around the town: fortunately, he and a teacher also led us to a backstreet where the famous folk saint Maximon was lying in wait for gifts of of alcohol and cigarettes.
In this short guide, we'll share the essentials to help you plan a day trip to Santiago Atitlan, with tips on how to find Maximon responsibly and a few suggestions on other things to do in town.
The Santiago Essentials
Explore / The street market (Friday is the best day)
Visit / Maximon. The chain-smoking, hard-drinking, womanising saint
Head / Up Mirador Rey Tepepul to spot a quetzal
Eat / A chocobanano
Drink / Excellent coffee at Spacecoffee502
Go / Inside Iglesia de Santiago Apóstol
Buy / Artisan products from Cojolya
Stay / The perennially popular Casa Josefa
How To Get To Santiago Atitlan & Connections
The fact that Santiago Atitlan isn’t on the main Panajachel - San Pedro boat route is a big reason why it’s lesser-visited and been able to remain close to its roots.
If you’ve read our other Lake Atitlán guides, then you’ll already be au fait with the fact that most towns are easiest (or only) accessed by boat. Those situated along the west and north shore are all stops on the main route, but for Santiago you need to find a less frequent service from Panajachel or connect in San Pedro.
Both these boats also depart from a different dock than the main boat service.
In short, it requires some intentionality to even reach Santiago!
· From Panajachel, there are direct services for 25Q per person, but they’re infrequent and can take a while to fill up. The journey is about 30 minutes. Whilst there are departures from the main dock (here on Google Maps), your best bet is to go straight to the other dock at the end of Calle Rio (maps).
Try to make the journey out before 12pm.
· From San Pedro to Santiago, you need to go to a specific dock (maps) on the opposite side of town to the main dock you’ll arrive on! It’s about a 15-minute walk between them, but it’s also possible to take a tuk-tuk for 5Q each. The captains like to wait until they have around 15 passengers before setting off, so don’t be surprised if you have to wait a while. The fare for foreigners should be 20Q, but you’ll likely be asked for 25Q.
If you’re ever stuck or in a rush in either town, it’s also possible to pay extra to make it a private boat service. However, that’s down to your negotiations with the captain and/or persuading other passengers to chip in.
As mentioned, to do a day trip to Santiago from other towns on the lake, you’re probably best to just make your way first to San Pedro and then change there, but do let us know in the comments if there’s a better alternative.
It’s first-come-first-served for seats, cash only, and paid on board; note that locals always pay less than visitors. We’ve shared much more advice on routes, costs, scams, and tips for smoother journeys in ‘How To Get Around Lake Atitlan’ - and we highly recommend giving it a read before you arrive.
If you’re planning to stay in Santiago, there is the option to arrive direct by public bus, but unfortunately we don’t have the details on that route.
For the journey back after your day trip, we highly recommend getting to the dock in Santiago much earlier than 5pm - and before 3.30pm if you’re depending on a connection in San Pedro.
So, if it wasn’t clear by now, for a day trip to Santiago, your best bet is to start in the morning and leave in the early-mid afternoon!
Things to Do in Santiago de Atitlan
Go In Search of Maximon
Imagine Keith Richards, and you're sort of getting close to the saint they call Maximon.
He smokes, he drinks, and he punishes those who fail to provide sufficient offerings. The legends around his origins are numerous - a morally questionable Spanish priest loved by his community, a hard-drinking vagabond Mayan shaman, a colonial judge that favoured indigenous rights, or a special tree that turned out to be a bit of a shagger (seriously) - but what's clear is that he wasn't made a saint simply for his unimpeachable virtues.
Dressed like a cowboy and usually with a lit cigarette hanging out the corner of his mouth, Maximon is crucially important in Guatemalan folklore and spirituality. He is thought to be one of many consequences of the religious syncretism (hello word of the day!) that characterised aspects of colonialism in Central America - whereby indigenous pre-Colombian gods and beliefs were incorporated or tacked onto the imposed Catholic religion.
Mischievous and loose with morals, Maximon (also known as San Simón) is thought to recognise humanity's own flaws and weaknesses. This means he doesn't just grant the desires of the good and the just, but also those who aren’t perfect or noble in their intentions.
You'll find him in the shadows of dive bars and hidden in backrooms across Guatemala - always seating due to his broken legs - and surrounded by small bottles of Quetzalteca, dripping candles, and swirling plumes of cigarettes and incense.
Santiago is however one of the places where he is most revered.
The privilege of hosting his effigy rotates annually between households in the town, ensuring Maximón is never found in the same place two years in a row. This means locating his shrine isn't always straightforward but, with tourists now more expected and generally welcome for a small fee, there are people who are only too willing to lead you toward him for a few quetzales.
As fate would have it though, this year he was hosted in the local teacher’s uncle’s house, so we simply headed there together after being shown around the school!
The shrine and setting - more like a backstreet bar than anything else - was suitably surreal. We were also fortunate enough to arrive whilst there was a proper ceremony with a local woman going on, which underlined that there really is something to this, but also meant that the only thing we could do was silently sit at the back of the room for 20 minutes out of respect.
A unique memorable moment? Absolutely, but it’s also the reason why we don’t have any photos of Maximon or the room to share with you as it just wouldn’t have been appropriate.
Know | The entrance fee is 5Q per person, and an additional 5Q for taking photos.
Day trippers looking for Maximon can either ask around town to find the house, or take up the offer of the guides who’ll approach you at the dock and market*. We’d say the latter option is a more positive contribution to local tourism than giving quetzales to random kids (as many do), and the guides will also give you more about the folklore, ceremonies, and history.
Some guides will also offer their services in and around town for your day trip and, if you really want more insights on Tz’utujil culture and ways of life, that’s going to be the best way.
It’s a good idea to bring an offering for Maximon (bad luck is said to befall those who don’t), and there’s usually always a place set-up by the shrine to buy the small bottles of alcohol, cigarettes, or beer.
Key to any experience though is dressing modestly, being respectful inside the Maximon shrine, and giving privacy and quiet for those worshipping (this extends to photos + videos).
* Some travellers post the new locations online but, frankly, we think is cheating and removes some of the magic for both you and the community.
The Market Day
Wherever you are in Guatemala or Central America, we always recommend going out of your way to spend some time in the local market: here in Santiago though, it’s pretty hard to miss.
Taking over several streets and the main plaza, it’s a colourful, lively, hectic, entertaining, all-encompassing affair, and a veritable feast of small details, characters, and curiosity.
We’d actually call it one of the best markets we’ve visited in Guatemala after San Francisco El Alto, outside of Quetzaltenango. Ironically, it’s the lack of other tourists - and the total lack of stalls focussed on tourists - that makes it more appealing for the tourist.
Just make sure to get out of the way when a lady with a big bucket of tomatoes needs to get past.
Where + When | The indoor market is permanent (maps), but it always sprawls out onto several surrounding streets and around the Parque Central. Friday is the main day - so perhaps aim for that as your day trip if planning ahead - but Tuesdays and Sundays tend to have more activity than the rest of the week.
By the way, if in doubt, the indoors market is also a great shout for an authentic quick lunch.
The Massacre
On December 2nd 1990, a massacre took place in Santiago Atitlan.
During the country's long-running civil war (1960-1996), the town was viewed as a guerrilla stronghold by the Guatemalan Army, and a base was established outside the town. For years, residents reported being systematically murdered, raped, and robbed by soldiers stationed there, and tensions came to a head following the drunken exploits of a commander and his soldiers. Thousands of unarmed townspeople protested peacefully outside the base demanding justice, but soldiers opened fire on the crowd. In total, 14 people were killed and 21 wounded, with the shooting resulting in international outcry and the USA cutting off military funding.
Since then, the Guatemalan army have never been permitted to step foot back in Santiago Atitlan.
The former barracks and site of the massacre are now a sombre memorial - Parque de la Paz (Park of Peace) - with a tombstone for each victim.
For more on what took place, this article and this article
Coffee, A Church, And A Banana Covered in Chocolate
Whilst our day trip to Santiago was primarily to visit two schools and find Maximon, we also had the afternoon spare to wander around town.
Here’s a few more recommendations for you to shape your wanderings:
Spacecoffee502 | Long-time readers of Along Dusty Roads, or those who have read the rest of our Guatemala guides, will probably be bored with us banging on about the coffee scene here.
So, we’ll cut to the chase: Spacecoffee502 was a great find.
Whilst a coffee place like this wouldn’t come as a surprise in the other Lake Atitlán towns or Quetzaltenango, it was here. That’s possibly a key reason that it’s such a welcoming environment, with knowlegeable and friendly local baristas who seemed really happy to give advice and back stories to the beans (many of which are grown in the region).
Due to this, we’d actually put Spacecoffee over as a fanatic place to venture beyond your usual milky order and go for a V60 or cold brew to really savour the flavours.
For those of you thinking about staying in Santiago, it’s a great space for digital nomads too.
Cojolya | Part of the Association of Maya Women Weavers, this small shop showcases handmade and fair trade products made by artisans from town. They also offer weaving classes, which you can find out more about on their website.
Iglesia de Santiago Apóstol| Rather than a place that’s only visited by tourists and a diminishing number of faithful, the oldest church in Santiago remains a core part of life here. Within, it’s not the most ornate or opulent you’ll find, but rather a display of faith and syncretism (remember!?) between Mayan and Catholicism tradition.
It is also the site of another tragedy: Father Stanley Rother was an American Catholic priest who served as a missionary here during the civil war, and was murdered in 1968. It is widely believed that the paramilitary organisation targeted him at the government’s behest, primarily for his advocacy for the poverty-stricken indigenous, and he was one of ten priests murdered in Guatemala that year.
His body was buried in Oklahoma but, at the request of the Tz’utujil community, his heart was buried here in the church (if you have the time, this is an excellent article about his story).
As ever in place of worship in the country, dress and act appropriately.
Fruit | Never had a frozen banana covered in chocolate? It’s a super popular treat in Guatemala, but it seemed particularly prominent in Santiago! Therefore, there’s no better time to grab your first chocobanano (or chocolate-covered watermelon, papaya, or mango!)
Birds | Probably of more interest than a frozen banana is Mirador Rey Tepepul and the protected Municipal Ecological Park of Santiago Atitlán. Found 8km outside of Santiago, it’s a popular observation deck and viewpoint, but the main reason to head there is for a birdwatching walk - which according to reports has quite a high hit rate of seeing an actual quetzal! It’s highly recommended to hire a guide though, both to avoid getting lost on the trails but also improve your chances of spotting the birds (I would pay good money to laugh at a horned guan in person).
Unfortunately, we didn’t do this, but thought we should share it here in case there’s some avid twitchers in our audience.
A few local companies to consider are Birding Atitlan Expedition and Cayaya Birding.
Where to Stay in Santiago de Atitlan
Casa Josefa | Located right by the dock, this is the most popular hotel in Santiago, offering simple but homely and comfortable rooms with modern amenities. Also benefits from a lovely courtyard garden, a small pool and a basic guest kitchen.
We initially thought that Hotel Los Olivos would be a top pick for Santiago, given how nice it looks in photos, but reading reviews it definitely seems that service likely doesn’t match up to the price. It’s in a gorgeous location however, so still taking a look at in case recent reviews show they’ve ironed out the kinks.
Casa González and Hosteria del Centro are two highly-rated and very budget friendly options.
There are also a handful of large houses available to rent on airbnb if you fancy a longer stay on this side of the lake with family or groups. Although, we do have to say, consider carefully before basing yourself over here, as the lac of restaurants and things to do in the near vicinity may mean you may end up feeling a little isolated.
If however, a quiet family time is exactly what you’re looking for, this is our top pick (it has four bedrooms).
Our Lake Atitlan Travel Series
We are right in the middle of publishing all the guides to help you travel better by the lake, so keep an eye out or visit our Guatemala page for the latest posts.
13 Wonderful Things to Do in Lake Atitlan
Our Lake Atitlan Travel Guide
Short Guides / Santa Cruz - San Marcos - San Juan
Santa Catarina Palopó - San Pedro
