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.
15 km · about 30 min drive
North AmericaGuatemalaSololá
Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán
Sololá, Guatemala · North America
About Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán
Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Nahualá, 22km from Lake Atitlan.
Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán is in Sololá, Guatemala, with about 15,000 people. The nearest town is Nahualá, about 7 km away.
Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan is a municipality in the Sololá department of Guatemala. It is located at about 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) in altitude in the steep mountains of the Sierra Madre range, descending from the western highlands to the southern coastal plain. The indigenous language is Kʼicheʼ. The town experiencedRead more
large landslides during hurricane Mitch (1998); a year after this catastrophe, many residents moved to higher ground and founded the village of Nueva Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, in territory called Chwi Pataan or “above the responsibility/duty,”within the independent township of Nahualá, and with private land plots owned principally by Nahualeños prior to 2005.
Ixtahuacanecos have claimed since at least 2000 that they had only re-settled highland territory that Ixtahuacan had owned since time immemorial, and where they claim Ixtahuacaneco ancestors had lived prior to the Spanish Invasion. Nonetheless, the Título Cristobal Ramirez, a land title written in Totonicapan in the 16th century, makes clear that the entire highland area south of Totonicapan, including Chwi Pataan, belonged to the "navalak tak vinak" (or "spirited / magical people") of Nahualá, who are identified as Kaqoj Tamub’ sub-nation of the Kʼicheʼ. The Kaqoj (lit. 'red lion') belonged to a different parcialidad from that which controlled Viejo Ixtahuacan prior to the Spanish invasion, according to paragraph 39 of the Annals of the Cakchiquels, which identifies the people living bear the mountain Kaqix Kan, which rises above Ixtahuacan Viejo, as "Iqomaq'i'", a name that surely corresponds to the Ekomaq' Tamub' sub-nation, who lived in the valley south of Nahualá, among other places.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán?
Within an hour or so of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán: San Pedro La Laguna (15 km), Lake Atitlan (22 km), Chichicastenango Market (31 km).
Where is Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán?
Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán is in Sololá, Guatemala, about 7 km from Nahualá.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 14,734
- Continent
- North America
- Country
- Guatemala
- Region
- Sololá
- Timezone
- America/Guatemala
- Coordinates
- 14.7980, -91.3587
Tags
Worth the detour from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán
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.
22 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.
31 km · about 35 min drive
Driving roads near Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán
- 62 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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