Coffee Beans Drying on a Rooftop in San Juan La Laguna

San Juan La Laguna, a Tz'utujil Maya town on the shores of Lake Atitlán, is home to several small coffee cooperatives that grow and process beans on the volcanic slopes above the water. After picking and washing, coffee cherries are spread out to dry in the sun for one to two weeks before the parchment layer is removed. Rooftop and patio drying remains common practice among smallholder growers in the area, who often sell directly to cooperatives rather than large exporters.