Hospitalito Atitlán is a small private non-profit hospital serving a population of 43,000 Tz'utujil Maya on the southern shore of beautiful Lake Atitlán in the highlands of Guatemala. Local physicians, nursing, and administrative staff work closely in collaboration with volunteer medical personnel from around the world to provide a comprehensive scope of care, including the only 24/7 emergency and surgical obstetrical care within a 2-hour radius.

More than 60 percent of the patients speak only Tz'utujil, the local Mayan dialect. Hospitalito staff translates Tz'tujil to Spanish for medical volunteers. HA has gone to great lengths to make services affordable to everyone. Social Workers are available to evaluate the resources of the patient and family and provide up to a 100% discount for those with limited resources.

Health problems in the Atitlán area are those that usually affect people in a poverty stricken area. Childhood diseases include significant respiratory and diarrheal illnesses, as well as the chronic effects of malnutrition. Obstetrical issues are often complex, with high levels of pre-eclampsia plus other social issues that impact both mothers and babies. Diabetes, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused by open cook fires in the home are issues that affect the adult population. Trauma and substance abuse are also frequently seen.


Within days of the disaster, the K’aslimaal Board leased a former hostel for backpackers, and immediately workmen and volunteers began transforming it into an emergency hospital.

Miraculously, sixteen days after the devastating mudslide, the first emergency cesarean saved a young mother’s life.

Within time, the living room, with fireplace and a view, was fitted with overhead surgical lights. A tiny kitchen became the laboratory. Offices were added on the porches, and a ramp was built to connect the OR to the patient rooms.

The old wooden building is cramped, musty, and the patient bathrooms are nearly impossible to access. The temporary location is a real step down from the hospital built in Panabaj in the 60’s which was destroyed by the mudslide. The people of Atitlán deserve a permanent hospital.


After the mudslide, INSEVUMEH, a government organization of scientists, declared Panabaj, where HA had been located, uninhabitable. The same scientists mapped Santiago Atitlán according to risk, and with that information in hand, K’aslimaal purchased land in an area determined to be low risk. Volunteer groups arrived and began clearing the land of trees and debris.

Austin Texas based Hospital architect David Schele, volunteered to begin designing the new hospital. The site was leveled by hand, and retaining walls were constructed. In March of 2007, construction began on the medical storage building, with funds donated from the Catholic Archdioceses of Oklahoma City.

A dedication ceremony for the completion of the first phase of construction was held on the second anniversary of the mudslide. A plaque, dedicating the new hospital to the victims of Tropical Storm Stan was unveiled, and architect Schele received recognition for the gift of his work to the community.

Schele turned the work over to the Guatemalan Architectural firm of Tierra Linda in Panajachel. Architect Molly Molander and her team converted the plans into Spanish and located materials in Guatemala that met Schele’s specifications.

On November 10th, 2008, construction was initiated on the hospital building. Generous donations were received and matched from the Archdioceses of Oklahoma City and from Starbucks.

Heartfelt thanks go to Bonnie O’Neill, (Chair of Amigos Hospitalito Atitlan) who facilitated a Challenge grant from the Kendeda Fund. Beginning July 2008, all donations would be matched, up to $750,000. To double your money, specify “construction” when you make your gift.

To view the progress of construction, watch the slide show at this location.