Panajachel - City of Guatemala

Panajachel is a town in the southwestern Guatemalan Highlands, in the department of Sololá. It serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of the same name.

The town of Panajachel is located on the shore of Lake Atitlán, and has become a centre for the tourist trade of the area as it provides a base for visitors crossing the lake to visit other towns and villages.

In the 16th century, during the period of the Spanish conquest of Guatemala, the shore of the lake was the scene of a battle in which the Spanish and their Kaqchikel allies defeated the Tz'utujils. The Spanish set up a church and monastery in Panajachel soon afterward, and used the town as a centre to convert the indigenous people of the region to the Roman Catholic faith. The original façade of the church still stands, and is considered one of the gems of the colonial style in Guatemala.

Panajachel is packed with hotels, small restaurants, lively nightspots and has several schools to learn Spanish. It has been overwhelmed in recent years by tourists, with souvenir shops and stalls lining the main street . Significantly, the town does offer several features of eco-cultural interest. The restored 16th century Catholic church, San Francisco Assis is the enduring feature of a Franciscan mission established here to Christianize the indigenous population on the north shore. Its stone faced, stepped-up facade is unique. Of more contemporary interest are the Museo Lacustre Atitlan on downtown Avenida Santander and two ecological/cultural attractions on the edge of town, The San Buenaventura Nature Reserve and Centro Cultural Los Encuentros.

The Nature Reserve is an extensive tract dedicated to the preservation of flora and fauna native to the Lake basin eco-system. Los Encuentros is a relatively small, private center dedicated to the promotion of local Mayan culture. It holds the most extensive tutorial medicinal plant garden in the Lake Atitlan Basin and a modest gallery which showcases the variety of styles employed by indigenous artists of the Lake. The staff of the center also facilitates encounters with indigenous shamans, painters, and weavers in their own settings.