CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHWEST GUATEMALA—McBRYDE 179 
km.) ; see maps 20, 21, and 23. The Quixcap delta, 
more frequently and more severely flooded than the 
other two, is almost bare of trees. The flood of 1881 
wiped out the Finca Jaibal, then planted largely on 
the delta. The coffee groves are now only on the 
high ground, extending up almost to San Jorge (pl. 
45, f). Coffee bushes, shaded mainly by gavilea trees 
(pl. 19, b) cover much of the other deltas (center 
and right). There are many jocote trees also in 
Panajachel. Except for the wooded areas mentioned, 
the vegetation is mostly scrub on the steep shores of 
the Lake and open pak and pine higher up (above the 
lower terrace, elev. about 2,055 m. or 6,741 £t.).. 
Bunchgrass and scattered pine and cypress dominate 
above the level of the upper terrace (about 2,455 m. 
or 8,054 ft.; see pl. 10, e). Thick layers of volcanic 
ash, tufts, and breccias predominate in the geology of 
the north and east shores of the Lake. The commonest 
lava is pyroxene andesite, porphyritic, with pheno- 
crysts of plagioclase and often considerable amounts 
of hornblende (samples from % mile southwest of 
Santa Cruz). Olivine pyroxene basaltic andesite like 
that of Santiago occurs near Solola. 
b, The valley of the Rio Panajachel (maps 20 and 23) may 
be seen curving to the left upstream from the 
delta, just beyond the end of the terrace at the 
right. This terrace, upon which the village of San 
Andres Semetabaj is situated (above and midway 
between the two promontories) is about 580 m. 
(1,902 ft.) higher than the Lake level at the right 
edge of the picture, and thus is 120 m. higher than 
the terrace below Solola. The upper terrace shown 
in the picture is about 900 m. (2,953 ft.) above the 
Lake, as is the terrace level above Solola. At the 
extreme lower right is the village of Santa Catarina 
Palopd. Note the trees, mostly jocotes, in the moister 
colluvial bottom below the open grassy and bushy 
slopes of the steep amphitheaterlike wall. 
¢, Santa Catarina Palopé is immediately off the left edge 
of the picture, which is almost contiguous with b. 
‘The height of this eastern wall of the Lake basin 
is approximately the same as the upper terrace shown 
in a and b (900 m. or 2,953 ft. above the Lake; 
elevation about 2,455 m. or 8,054 ft.) 
d, Through the gap south of San Lucas (lowest point on 
the rim of the Lake Basin) appears one of the small 
piedmont domes (peviones; map 5) at the base of 
Atitlan volcano. By the first peninsula to the right 
of San Lucas (map 20) the water moves slowly in 
under the lava flows to a subterranean outlet. Water 
gushes out in a large stream below -San Lucas, and 
also feeds many other streams after passing through 
the lava at the bases of the volcanoes. Openings 
and closings of channels by volcanic and seismic 
disturbances have caused major fluctuations in the 
water ‘level. There was probably once a surface 
outlet at this gap (see Appendix 1, p. 132). Extensive 
coffee groves may be seen along the slopes of Toli- 
man volcano; the clearings are muilpas. The road 
from Patulul to Godinez, following the eastern wall 
of the Lake, is visible on the steep ridge to the 
left of San Lucas. 
e and f, Clearings for cornfields in e (right) and f extend 
high up the slopes of Toliman and Atitlan, to eleva- 
tions above 3,000 m. (9,842 ft.). Irregular lava 
terraces and flow lines characterize this landscape. 
Cerro de Oro (“Gold Hill”), at left in f is so named 
because there was said to be an ancient Tzutuhil 
citadel on top, with gold and other treasures cached 
there. This small volcanic cone rises about 330 m. 
(1,100 ft.) above the Lake surface. The ‘scattered 
settlements at its base (map 20) takes its name. 
The Pacific Coastal Lowlands appear in the distance 
(left background). 
PLATE 47 
The terraces and shore features in the left foreground are 
the result of lava flows from Toliman Volcano. The 
village of Santiago is compactly built on the largest 
lava peninsula (upper, or farthest south, on the left) ; 
see maps 20 and 25. The trees in the village are 
mostly jocotes, peaches, and oranges. The sloping 
plain (El Plan) at the upper left, beyond the village, 
is of fertile alluvial and colluvial material washed 
down from the slopes of Toliman and Atitlan Vol- 
canoes. The wooded ridge beyond the Bay is a part 
of the old caldera rim. The contact between the 
rim and the volcanic alluvium of El Plan is sharply 
emphasized by the vegetation, the plain being cleared 
for maize, the ridge covered with trees, the main 
source of firewood for Santiago. All cleared areas 
in the picture are planted to maize (milpa). Inter- 
mediate tones of gray on the ridge indicate tem- 
porarily abandoned fields going back to bush. The 
trail from Santiago to San Lucas skirts the lava 
terrace in the left foreground; the trail leading into 
the Lowlands (Chicacao and fincas) crosses the 
plain in the left background. To the right of 
Santiago Bay are the lower slopes of San Pedro 
volcano. At the northernmost point (nearest the 
camera) on this west shore is Chuitinamit, a dome 
that rises 150 m. (about 500 ft.) above the Lake. 
In pre-Spanish times the royal residence of the 
Tzutuhils is said to have been on top of this hill, 
with the plebian population living across the bay. 
Local tradition holds that in ancient times people 
walked across, with the aid of a short bridge of 
logs. Soundings that I made in 1936 to check this, 
however, discounted it, for a channel between Chui- 
tinamit’ and the submerged island of .Teachtic had ~ 
a minimum depth of 165 feet. Though the pre-Con- 
quest level was probably 30 feet lower (Appendix 1) 
than in 1936, there still would have been a 400-meter 
strait to cross. The island in the center foreground 
is Tzanjayam or Isla del Gato. Faintly visible 
through the water beyond it is the small submerged 
island of Teachic; the top branches of willow trees 
growing on it were almost touched by the bottom 
of the transport launch passing over it in 1936. 
Tzanjayam and Teachtc were said to have been step- 
ping stones for the crossing of the strait in earlier 
