San Pedro La Laguna

San Pedro La Laguna is a Guatemalan town on the southwest shore of Lake Atitlán. For centuries, San Pedro La Laguna has been inhabited by the Tz'utujil people, and in recent years it has also become a tourist destination for its Spanish language schools, night life, and proximity to the lake and volcanos.Local crops include corn, beans, coffee, and avocado. Some women make belts, shawls, and skirts with a back strap loom. San Pedro graduates large numbers of teachers who work the Atitlán area. Activities for tourists include hikes to the top of the San Pedro volcano or the Mayan Face, studying Spanish, partying in the restaurant sector down by the lakeshore, volunteering, and learning local crafts.DemographySan Pedro La Laguna is a small town with a population of approximately 13,000 people. The inhabitants of San Pedro are primarily Tz'utujil Maya, with a small, but growing, expatriate community. The population is over 90 percent indigenous. The expatriate community that is forming within San Pedro La Laguna is composed of Americans and Europeans.ReligionThe religion that is the most dominant in San Pedro La Laguna is Roman Catholicism. This has been the most dominant religion since the 16th century, when the Spaniards colonized Guatemala.While Guatemala was under a brutal military regime the North American Protestant Evangelical churches were allowed to enter into any community. As a result of Protestant evangelism, more than 40% of Pedranos are now Evangelical.Even though the Protestant and Catholic religions have been dominant for many years, about half of the population still practices traditional Maya rituals either separately or alongside another religion. Many locals believe the world is inhabited by both good and bad spirits that influence many aspects of daily life. Xocomil, a wind coming from the south that "carries away sin", usually visits Lake Atitlán area around midday. If the wind is coming from the north, the Maya claim, the lake's spirit is getting rid of a person who has drowned after claiming his or her soul.