GUATEMALA

GUATEMALA.

Landmarks and Quetzal.
Lake Atitlán.
Airmail. Fourth stamp in a set of 5, issued on 01.01.1937.
Face value: 30 Guatemalan centavos.
Design: C. Marckwordt.
Printed by Joh. Enschedé Stamps, Haarlem, Netherlands.
Printing: Photogravure.
Size: 37 x 17 mm.

Catalogs
- Michel No. 317.
- Scott No. C42.
- StampWorld No. 368.
- Stanley Gibbons No. 304a.
- Yvert et Tellier No. PA57.

Atitlan is a lake in the Guatemalan Highlands of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas mountain range. It is in the Sololá Department of southwestern Guatemala. It is the deepest lake in Central America (estimated maximum depth: 340 m or 1,120 ft). Its surface elevation is 1,562 m (5,125 ft), and its area is 130.1 km² (50.2 sq mi). The lake basin is volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera formed by an eruption 84,000 years ago. In 1955, the area around Lake Atitlán became a national park. The lake is surrounded by many villages in which Maya culture is still prevalent and traditional dress is worn. The Maya people of Atitlán are predominantly Tz'utujil and Kaqchikel. In the last plane of the stamp you can see the Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro volcanoes. One of the characteristics of Lake Atitlán is a strong wind known as Xocomil.

The resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) is a small bird found in southern Mexico and Central America. It has an important role in Mesoamerican mythology, and is closely associated with Quetzalcoatl. Presently, it is the national animal of Guatemala, being pictured on the country's flag and coat of arms; it also grants its name to the State's currency, the Guatemalan quetzal.