AMATITLAN, the name of a lake and town in Guatemala, Central America. The lake is 18 miles from the city of Guatemala, and is about 9 miles long and 3 broad. The town, which is sometimes called St Juan d’Amatitlan, is situated on the shores of the lake. The houses are all of one storey, and are mostly built of mud. The Jesuits formerly had extensive sugar plantations at Amatitlan, but the chief industry now is the raising of the cochineal. The wells of the town are strongly impregnated with salt and alum, and in the vicinity there are several hot springs. Population about 10,000, chiefly mulattoes and samboes.