Chicabal, Sacred volcano with crater lake in San Martín Sacatepéquez, Guatemala

Chicabal is an extinct stratovolcano in San Martín Sacatepéquez, part of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, rising to 2,900 metres. Its crater, about 575 metres across, holds a perennial emerald-green lake of debated depth above a muddy floor. Cloud forest of oak, pine and cypress covers the slopes down to the water.

The Mam Maya have long regarded the crater lake as sacred, and it remains a focus of traditional ceremonies. The main annual observance is the Ascension of the Lord, held 40 days after Easter, when participants pray for rain. The site is also protected by nahuales, spiritual guardians in Mam belief.

Local Maya communities view the crater lake as a sacred place where different altars serve specific purposes for healing, fertility, and spiritual cleansing. Visitors can observe people coming here to perform personal rituals and leave offerings.

Hikes to the crater typically start early from Quetzaltenango and take roughly 2 hours through dense forest to reach the lake. Bring sturdy walking shoes, water, and rain gear, as weather can change quickly at this elevation.

Visitors are not allowed to swim, fish, or wash in the lake, as local beliefs say that people who fish here vanish beneath the surface. These prohibitions remain strictly enforced by the community today.