Between the covers of ‘Guatemala Modern’: Monocle’s new book produced in partnership with INGUAT

1.
A new aesthetic
DESIGN

With a blend of heritage inspiration, contemporary flair and bold colour palettes, studios like Nada Duele are putting Guatemalan design on the map.

Giselle “Gigi” Macdonald began Nada Duele in 2018 with the aim of mixing Guatemalan craft and materials with contemporary design. Born and raised in Guatemala, Macdonald left for her mother’s native Canada to study design marketing and business, before working in Spain. “After nine years away, I realised I had all this knowledge and experience, and decided it was time to put it into practice with my own venture,” says Macdonald. Her first pieces were inspired by her mother’s sculptures. “My mother had all these scraps of stone lying around,” she says. “They were so uniquely beautiful.” Eight years on and Macdonald’s shop is filled with pieces that perfectly illustrate a new era in Guatemalan design: one with a foot in the past and an eye on the future

2.
Escape to the future
HOSPITALITY

Guatemala has upped its hospitality offering in recent years and boutique eco-stays like La Fortuna are cementing the country’s destination status.

While warm welcomes, delicious food and home comforts have always come as standard across the country’s many B&Bs, hotels and fincas, a new generation of thoughtfully designed and independent offerings are encouraging a new kind of global traveller. Perched on the shore of Lake Atitlán with unobstructed volcano views, La Fortuna’s six luxury bungalows make for a unique stay. With palm-thatched roofs, each is exceptionally thought out: some feature lush private gardens, others a hot tub facing the lake; several have open-air showers. The property is entirely self-sustainable and 100-per-cent off-grid. “We went into this with intentionality to be a positive force for the environment around us,” says co-owner Steve Kmack.

3.
Timeless style
URBANISM

Bold architecture and modernist design capture the imagination in Guatemala City’s Centro Cívico.

Standing in the plazas of Guatemala City’s Centro Cívico gives the sense of being in the very heart of a nation. The capital’s artful administrative centre glances back to a time when Guatemala dared to look forward. Evocative murals are chiselled into soaring concrete façades; rousing visions that reveal a reconciliation with the past, brimming with both confidence and contemplation.

Wandering around these ornate walls and monuments, one feels the plethora of forces enfolded into the Centro Cívico. Artistic ingenuity enhanced historic complexity here, as a moment of political bravery transformed this vision into an expansive campus of confident concrete. It stands today as a monumental collective achievement that is still worthy of universal celebration.

4.
Gallery hopping
CREATIVITY

A new generation of collectors, curators and gallerists are shaping Guatemalan culture for the better – and it starts from the top.

On the seventh floor of a striking brutalist tower in Guatemala City, Silvia Obiols de Tres is applying the finishing touches to the inaugural exhibition at Galería Extra’s new space. She opened the first gallery in 2017, following eight years as director of philanthropic auction house Juannio. “I work with artists whose work is accompanied by an element of research,” says Obiols de Tres.

“We continue to provide open spaces for both younger audiences and artists to experiment,” she adds, pointing to Galería Extra’s Apreciación del Arte (“art appreciation”) seminar series. “Guatemalan creatives need to cultivate their self-taught sensibilities, to be bold, to carve out their own niche. As a gallery, we provide pathways towards greater discovery.”

5.
Something’s brewing
CUISINE

From the third-wave coffee culture to a cacao industry being revived with ancestral Mayan knowledge, Guatemalan gastronomy is full of beans.

Guatemalan coffee is globally recognised, appreciated and – if you know your beans – increasingly venerated for its distinct quality and complexity. Today, down on the busy calles of Guatemala City, a network of cafés, such as Zona 4’s Rojo Cerezo, is bringing the country’s established sector into a new era. Meanwhile, over at Cacao Source, on the shores of Lake Atitlán in San Marcos de La Laguna, pure ceremonial cacao is produced by working with local farmers and women’s cooperatives from the Kaqchikel community, who honour the ancestral Maya knowledge of this extraordinary plant. “Fire is our connection with Mother Earth,” says cooperative leader Paola Quiacain. “Fire-roasting cacao allows us to be present and in line with our ancestors.”

6.
Crest of a wave
WELLNESS

Beach lovers and smart entrepreneurs flock to Guatemala’s coast for an exceptional quality of life.

There’s a rare and dramatic kind of beauty to be found along Guatemala’s Pacific coast. From the popular local holiday town of Champerico down to the southern resort of Monterrico, with its volcanic black-sand beaches that welcome nesting sea turtles every summer, this wild stretch of coastline is as varied as it is stunning. But the charm of this 250km-long stretch extends far beyond holidaymakers and surf culture. The quiet nature and laidback atmosphere is enticing even for those who are more inclined to a life on dry land. “The move to the beach was like pulling the handbrake,” says Rodrigo Ramirez, a celebrated chef and founder of the El Paredón restaurant Emma Cocina Glocal. “It helped me slow down, enjoy life a little more.”

7.
A changing landscape
BUSINESS

Bohemian yet modern, Zona 4 in Guatemala City has a reputation for doing things differently. Discover Central America’s new hub for innovative startups.

In the late 18th century, inspired by the grand boulevards of Haussmann’s Paris, Guatemala’s then-president José María Reina Barrios commissioned a neighbourhood called Cantón Exposición. An elegant extension to Guatemala City’s diagonal streets and generous green spaces, the area now known as Zona 4 would reflect the country’s optimism. After a period of neglect, the Smith Mini family began to revive the neighbourhood’s fortunes in 2002. Zona 4 was developed into a centre for entrepreneurship, helping attract a new generation of creative businesses and cementing its reputation as the capital’s innovation district. “My grandfather always saw the potential in Zona 4,” says Chesley Smith Mini. “Today, the neighbourhood is thriving.”