Santa Catarina Palopó is located on the western shore of picturesque Lake Atitlán, four kilometers from Panajachel. Inhabited since pre-Colombian times, the village formally sustained itself by fishing and farming. Since the ecologically ill-advised introduction of black bass into the lake as a game fish, men have turned to a variety of commercial pursuits and women have dedicated themselves more to the production and sale of textiles in Panajachel, Chichicastenango and Antigua.