Beading class in Panajachel: Make Mayan friendship bracelets

You make the bracelet, learn the craft, meet the maker.

A beading class in Panajachel where you make Mayan friendship bracelets with a local woman, supported by a live guide in English or Spanish. The class runs about two hours and includes all materials. You can add lunch (a primary dish of your choice) and a walking tour of the remote village around Lake Atitlan. Income supports CECAP, a non-profit vocational training center.

Step-by-step itinerary

Beading class and village tour

• Attend beading class with local Mayan woman
• Enjoy lunch break
• Tour small remote village near Lake Atitlan

The experience

You sit down with a local Mayan woman and make a beaded friendship bracelet from start to finish, learning the technique and the cultural meaning behind the craft. The class takes about two hours and all materials are provided. This is hands-on work. You're not watching a demonstration, you're doing it, and the woman teaching you is doing it alongside you. The setting is one of the smaller villages around Lake Atitlan, remote enough that it has stayed largely untouched by tourism, so the experience sits inside the daily life of the place rather than apart from it.

If you add lunch, you choose a primary dish and eat with the group. The village tour that follows is a walking tour lasting around an hour, led by your guide, who speaks English or Spanish. The whole experience (class, lunch if you choose it, and the tour) takes about five hours total. Every bit of income from the classes goes back into CECAP's economic empowerment and social enterprise programs, so your booking funds vocational training for the community.

What’s included

• Beading class with all materials for jewelry making.
• lunch with a primary dish of your choice (if you select that option).
• walking tour of the village (if you select that option).
• live guide in English or Spanish.

Options for this experience

3 options

Beading ClassGuide in English or Spanish · 10:00Tour of the vocational training center with a beading class

Lunch included with a beading classGuide in English or Spanish · 10:00Lunch included with a beading class

Lunch and tour included with a beading classGuide in English or Spanish · 10:00Beading class, lunch, and a walking tour of a distinctive Mayan village

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday and ThursdayDeparts at 10:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (5 and older) · Under 5: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 6

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Los Elementos Adventure Center & Day Spa

Is this one for you?Pick the class alone if you want to focus on the craft and the conversation with the maker. Add lunch and the village tour if you have the full morning or afternoon and want to see how the community lives beyond the classroom.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

How much time do I actually spend making the bracelet?

The beading class itself runs about two hours, and you're working the whole time. That's the core of the experience. The lunch and village tour are optional add-ons you can choose at checkout.

What's included in the lunch option?

Lunch includes a primary dish of your choice. It takes an hour or less. Alcoholic drinks are available to purchase separately if you want them.

Will I learn about Mayan culture during the class?

Yes. The woman teaching you shares knowledge about Mayan culture and daily life as you work together on the bracelet. The village tour, if you add it, gives you a walking look at the community itself.

Is this village easy to reach from Panajachel?

The village is one of the smaller, more remote settlements around Lake Atitlan. Your guide will coordinate the class and the experience, but transportation to and from Santa Cruz is not included, so you'll need to arrange that separately.

Can children come to the beading class?

Yes, children can join. They must be accompanied by an adult, and the class is suitable for all physical fitness levels.

What should I wear?

The experience operates in all weather, so dress appropriately for the conditions on the day you go. Bring layers or rain gear if the forecast calls for it.