landmark
San Pedro La Laguna
A backpacker and artist hub on Lake Atitlán's shores beneath San Pedro Volcano, known for Spanish schools and Tz'utujil Maya culture.
17 km · about 20 min drive
Photo by Alberto G. Valdeavellano
North AmericaGuatemalaSololá
Nahualá
Sololá, Guatemala · North America
About Nahualá
Nahualá is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, 20km from Lake Atitlan.
Nahualá is in Sololá, Guatemala, with about 28,000 people. The nearest town is Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, about 7 km away.
Nahualá (Spanish pronunciation: [nawaˈla]) is a municipality in the Sololá department of Guatemala. The town is sometimes known as Santa Catalina Nahualá in honor of the town's patron saint, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, but the official name is just "Nahualá". Formerly, the town's name was written Nagualá, andRead more
earlier transcriptions of the name in colonial documents include Nauala, Niguala, Niuala, and Navala.
Nahualá or Nawala' is also the Kʼicheʼ (Quiché) language name for the Nahualate River, which is called Niwala' in the local Nahualá dialect. The river has its source in the north of the township of Nahualá, and flows through the center of the town's cabecera ("head-town").
Nahualá is the location of radio station Nawal Estereo, the Internet-accessible modern successor to the station La Voz de Nahualá, which was founded in Nahualá with the assistance of Roman Catholic clerics from the Diocese of Helena Montana in the 1960s. Nowadays, the station broadcasts primarily in the Kʼicheʼ language, with some broadcasts also done in Kaqchikel and Spanish.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Nahualá?
Within an hour or so of Nahualá: San Pedro La Laguna (17 km), Lake Atitlan (20 km), Chichicastenango Market (25 km).
Where is Nahualá?
Nahualá is in Sololá, Guatemala, about 7 km from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 27,690
- Continent
- North America
- Country
- Guatemala
- Region
- Sololá
- Timezone
- America/Guatemala
- Coordinates
- 14.8429, -91.3180
Tags
Worth the detour from Nahualá
3 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
Lake Atitlan
A breathtaking volcanic lake surrounded by three towering volcanoes and traditional Mayan villages, often called the most beautiful lake in the world.
20 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Chichicastenango Market
Central America's largest indigenous market held every Thursday and Sunday, overflowing with textiles, masks, flowers, and Maya rituals.
25 km · about 30 min drive
Driving roads near Nahualá
- 61 kmAcatenangoA 3,976 m stratovolcano near Antigua climbed overnight so hikers can camp on the ridge and watch neighbouring Volcán de Fuego erupt through the night: one of the most reliable live-eruption views on earth.
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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