Gloria Francisca GUARAN DE HERNANDEZ

She has dedicated her life to family and community well-being through the study and practice of traditional Mayan medicine and spirituality, as well as the promotion of local crafts. Her deep knowledge of ancestral medicine has been instrumental in researching the traditional knowledge of Mayan-born healers in the Kakchiquel region and other locations nationally and internationally.

She is the coordinator, guide, and founder of the "Rujotay K'aslemal" project, which seeks to manage and process medicinal plants with knowledge acquired from generation to generation. This project is conserving and revaluing the use and management of plants, from their healing properties to how to conserve and care for them. The goal is to protect natural resources and help regenerate the mother nature. She also seeks to encourage female participation, training women to be bearers of this knowledge and to use it for the benefit of their families and communities.