ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the gaps in the therapeutic landscape literature specific to cultural and gendered understandings. The four themes that emerged from the data are: daily life and survival; development, success, and a better future; 'getting out' and the utility of natural beauty; and negative or nontherapeutic landscapes. The Kaqchikel are a people who have long suffered discrimination, displacement, violence, and poverty. San Lucas Toliman is a small, predominantly Indigenous municipality located on the southeast shores of Lake Atitlan in the department of Solola, which is part of the highland region of the country. In terms of land access and tenure, the people of San Lucas Toliman are arguably more fortunate than others in the region, given the dedication of the Catholic parish to acquiring and redistributing land. The Kaqchikel worldview is based on the notion of a sacred covenant between humans and cosmic forces, which is intimately tied to notions of balance, reciprocity, and cosmic cycles.
