Lake Atitlan Garbage Clean Up Begins

Lake Atitlan Garbage Clean Up Begins. The Highlands of Guatemala has a documented garbage problem. For decades, trash has been simply dumped on the ground and untreated sewage has been diverted into neighboring waterways leading into Lake Atitlan.

Once described by Aldous Huxley as the Lake Como of Guatemala, Lake Atitlán is a justified staple on the Central American tourist trail. However, over the past few years, agrochemicals, raw sewage, litter and shore development have taken their toll, turning the fresh blue water a murky shade of brown, turning tourists away.

Lake Atitlan Garbage Clean Up Begins

Elizabeth Gelwicks Dietsch a Tourist on Vacation in Lake Atitlan with Guide Alex Vicente Lopez was taken by the issues of Trash in the Villages around Lake Atitlan. Elizabeth decide that she would take action in an attempt to help Villages around Lake Atitlan, first clean up the existing trash along the shoreline.

Guide Alex Vicente Lopez organized a group of Villagers from the Village of San Jorge La Laguna On Sunday April 10^th 2016 who begin cleaning up the Vista Area of the Village. This will be an ongoing project each Sunday until the Vista is cleaned up, Trash Containers are placed along the Vista and signs posted.

As the Pictures indicate Sundays work collected over 30 large bags of Trash which where taken to the Pana Recycling Facility. Lake Atitlan Garbage Clean Up Begins is needed through out all of Lake Atitlan.

Please join us next Sunday April 17^th at 8:00 am and help continue this clean up work. Please bring large Trash bags and if you would like please Donate Q30 which is the amount paid each person from the Village for helping cleaning up Garbage.

The community of San Jorge La Laguna are excited about the opportunity of aid from Elizabeth. This project will continue and move from Village to Village around Lake Atitlan offering aid and support to empower Villager in taking control of the existing Garbage. Proving garage containers along the paths and trails of Lake Atitlan.

San Jorge La Laguna is a village in the municipality of Sololá, in the department of Sololá, is a small settlement you’ve probably noticed if you’ve traveled the road that leads to Panajachel. The overlook, with its panoramic view over Lake Atitlán, also allows you to see this picturesque community, and what immediately catches the eye is its white-painted colonial church which is quite easy to find once you get to San Jorge.

This tiny Village has several sacred sites that you can visit, including Nimaj’ay or Casa Grande – a Mayan ceremonial center where rituals are performed that Mayan priests and spiritual leaders use to communicate with the sacred spirits of the place – as well as others like Coxolab’aj and El Encanto de Relaj’mam, which is also known as St. Simon’s Cave (la Cueva de San Simón).