Lake Atitlán, like an apparition that blends with the clouds, is a mile above sea level, surrounded by three volcanoes. Its enduring beauty is now threatened by over-population, pollution and recurring natural disasters. There are constant reminders of the fragility of this landscape -- roads washed away by recent hurricanes and massive landslides. The water level rises to the edge of cultivated fields and fertilizers leach into the lake. This beautiful lake where people are told not to bathe but still do and where men still go out each day to catch crab and fish from their dugout canoes and women continue to wash clothes in the lake.