Being a woman in Guatemala is an act of resistance. Being a Kaqchikel Mayan woman and artist in Guatemala is an even bolder political statement, but at the same time, a radical gesture towards life, and this is the best way to introduce Sara Curruchich.
Sara was born in 1993 in San Juan Comalapa, Chimaltenango, a community in the Central Guatemalan Highlands where its people have a long tradition of art and knowledge, yet are also a great force of resistance and struggle. She is the first indigenous Guatemalan singer-songwriter to go international (South America, Central America, North America and Europe) with songs in Kaqchikel (her mother tongue) and Spanish. Curruchich’s voice, and messages of love, conscience and respect – a defense of life in all its forms – have made her a bearer of light and hope for many women and men.
Since her beginnings in San Juan Comalapa, Sara has traveled to many corners of Guatemala, performing not only in its art and music spaces, but also in its social meeting places and rural community centres. Sara Curruchich’s latest album Mujer Indígena is full of reflection, resilience and vindication. It continues her use of music – drawing upon various genres like rock, folk and traditional Mayan Kaqchikel – to denounce, to heal, and to safeguard memory & history, of which Sara is a great champion.