I will be visiting Lake Atitlan from January 3, 2016 to February 3, 2016. Two of my friends will be traveling with me. We, all three of us, travel in the winter to avoid the cold and snow in the U.S. This winter, we will spend a month in one of the towns/villages near Lake Atitlan. Each of us has an interest in the Mayan population there, so we hope to find a house in Santiago where most of the indigenous people reside. I've contacted Atitlan Solutions, an agency there, and have been told that they, as an agency, have no houses in Santiago to rent. Can anyone make recommendations? I've researched and examined a couple of rental sites, but thus far, no luck. We would really like to have the matter settled before we arrive there, but we also would have no problem looking on the fly after arriving. A three-bedroom house would be perfect, but we could probably manage with two bedrooms, with one of us sleeping on the couch or on a cot.
Not sure where you got that information, but by no means do "most" of the indigenous live in Santiago. They are the majority population of every town on the lake (with the possible exception of Pana, depending on how you count).
Keep in mind that Santiago is also a big, fairly unattractive concrete town. You'll probably want to sample the vibe a bit to see if it's the right place for you to spend the whole month. What you may have read is that it is the largest "city" on the lake, and it certainly is a great place to dive deep into Tz'tujil culture, but I wouldn't consider it a great base for a month, especially when there are much better and more comfortable options on the other side of the lake.
If your interest is truly about being with Mayan people, consider San Juan or San Marcos (both ideal)... or San Pedro or Santa Cruz. All of those towns have lots of listings on sites like Airbnb, VRBO, etc., though you're also talking about high season. Many houses available in SM, SJ, SC etc. are right in the indigenous areas, others are on roads leading into and out of towns.
Sure. Check out some houses in the San Marcos/Santa Cruz area on Airbnb... still some nice, larger ones available for that period. Living there, you'll be able to interact with local indigenous people every day and also be within easy transport range from Santiago (though the two areas are actually home to two distinct cultures):
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