STALWART

Huehuetenango is the highest and driest of Guatemala’s non-volcanic regions. This renowned region owes much to the dry, hot winds that come in from the mountains of Mexico’s Tehuantepec plain. The additional heat layers protect Huehuetenango from frost and enable coffee to grow at altitudes of 2,000 MASL.

Due to the high altitude, nearly all of Huehuetenango’s producers process their own coffee. Fortunately, the region has rivers and streams in abundance, so mills can be placed almost anywhere.

The Mam language is spoken by the Mam People, whose history stretches back to the Classic Mayan Period (200-900 AD). As part of the Mayan Empire, the Mam lived throughout what is today northwestern Guatemala and southern Mexico. The Mam not only lived in this region during the Classic Mayan Period, but the Pre-Colombian Mayan Period, and the colonial period, and the post-colonial period, and every period since. Up to 75% of the population in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango are indigenous Maya peoples and the region is home to more Mam than any place in Guatemala.

Guatemalan producers are constantly looking for better growing conditions: richer soil; advantageous micro-climates; and ideal shade conditions. Farmers are investing in moving to higher grounds to increase their options for growing specialty coffees. Producers are dedicating lands at higher altitudes to planting traditional varietals that produce differentiated cup qualities. Read more in our Guatemala Origin Report.