A Local’s Guide to Guatemala

Actor María Mercedes Coroy is considered a pioneer in Guatemala’s emerging film industry, launching its first production company, La Casa de Producción, and starring in La Llorona, the first local film nominated for a Golden Globe. She has also become a cultural leader for the rights of women and Indigenous peoples in her country.

This interview is part of The World Made Local, a global collaboration between the seven international editions of Condé Nast Traveler in which 100 people in 100 countries tell us why their home turf should be your next destination.

Where do you live?

In Santa María de Jesús, in the department of Sacatepéquez, on the slopes of the Agua Volcano. It is a place where people are very friendly, so much so that if you arrive one day and have nowhere to eat or spend the night, anyone will open their doors for you. Not only that, but while you live with them they will tell you incredible stories. It is very safe too; you can walk anywhere in town at any time, and nothing will happen to you. And it is not going to cost you much to travel here; it is full of mountains and beautiful places that you can visit at no cost. Pure nature. You can also climb the volcano and see the vastness of the country.

Why would someone have to travel to Santa María de Jesús?

There are tourists who only know the central part of the country—Tikal, Petén—but there is much more to discover in Guatemala. One of the things that I like the most about my town is the views that can be seen from its hills, which are beautiful to enjoy at any time of the day but especially at dawn, when the sun rises behind the volcano. There are also many Mayan ceremonies celebrated in Guatemala that are worth visiting that give thanks to the land, trees, flowers, and birds—to everything that surrounds us. In my town, for example, we do the "request for rain" from the four hills in the area. At each point they are made to ask for the blessing and the request for rain from Mother Nature, but also to ask for protection.

What is the typical dish of your town?

Pepián, a Mayan stew made with beef or chicken. I love cooking, so when I'm out of the country I miss food a lot. Like the kak'ik, typical of Cobán. Although when I'm away, what I miss the most are the beans made in a clay pot.

What does Guatemala smell like?

To coffee, to coffee plantations. That aroma is another dimension that takes you directly to the fruit and the process that had to occur to fill your cup. It also smells of typical Guatemalan desserts, such as shecas and roscas. And to wet land, to those dirt streets that are not paved and where the rain falls, raising the steam along with a musty smell and a feeling of relaxation.

What piece of art, music, or book captures the essence of your country?

Sara Curruchich is an indigenous Kaqchikel singer-songwriter whose song “Junam” (a word that means that we are all equal) references the unity of the people and the struggle in our community. Also Paola Pérlop or B'aktun Cero, a Mayan group originating from the Mam area that speaks a lot about the Mayan resistance and wealth, in the capacity that young people can have.

Why come to Guatemala now?

Guatemala is a country that offers everything you need, but what is more important is that it is a paradise of diversity: of languages, of Mayan clothing, and of hard-working people, of people who wake up early every day to work the land, to be able to sustain an entire country. People with fertile hands, both with the land and in art and culture.

Follow María Mercedes Coroy on Instagram @mariamercedescoroy