If you're traveling in the Lake Atitlán region, consider a visit to the hillside cemetery in Sololá. The dead are honored here by being buried amid their favorite colors, and the vibrance and beauty of this place belies the fact that it is a cemetery. It is a visual delight of turquoise and cobalt blues, vivid orange hues and all varieties of green. Gorgeous flower arrangements decorating the tombs add further bursts of color. I felt honored and lucky to be there, admiring another facet of the colorful culture of Guatemala.

Chichicastenango and Xela (Quetzaltenango) are other options for colorful cemeteries in the region.