Santiago Atitlán

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Santiago Atitlán is a municipality in the Sololá department of Guatemala. The town is situated on Lago de Atitlán. The majority of the residents are indigenous Mayans. It was the capitol of the Tz'utujil people in pre-Columbian times and its name was Chuitinamit.

The Cofradías (religious brotherhoods), manage a parallel power and are the guardians of the modern and ancient religious practices, most notably the cult of Maximón to whom they offer liquor and tobacco in exchange of favors.

Santiago Atitlán is the home of the Cojol Ya Association Weaving Center and Museum, founded by the Cojol Ya Association of Mayan Women Weavers. The museum shows the history and process of backstrap loom weaving, and the evolution of the traditional costume of the Tzutujil, the indigenous people of Santiago Atitlán.

Santiago Atitlán was the site of considerable state-sponsored violence during the country's civil war. Some of the most notable incidents that occurred during the war include the assassination of U.S. priest Stanley Rother by right-wing death squads on 28 July, 1981 [1], and the massacre of 14 people (and wounding of 21 others) when the Guatemalan Army opened fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians on 2 December, 1990 [2].

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