Galeria Pop Wuj

In the K'iche' dialect, Pop translates to Mat and Wuj translates to Leaf, which refers to the sacred writings in the book of the Mayan Cosmovision.

GALERIA POP WUJ was founded in 1999 by a K’iche' Mayan family in the town of Chichicastenango, Guatemaya. It is located south of the Chichicastenango Church in the central ceremonial Pascual Habaj in the neighborhood of Chilima in house #2-27.

The seed of this project was planted by the grandfather, Sr. Pedro Leon Xirum. He was an artisan working together in a leather workshop with his son Sr. Miguel Leon Ignacio who then collaborated with the Leon Cortez brothers who started their first steps in painting. The first pillars of the gallery were established through these three generations: grandfather, father and sons to create the GALERIA POP WUJ.

The family has coordinated many creative activities to promote art and education with local youth and adults in Chichicastenango. Since founding the gallery, the family has been able to achieve and strengthen Mayan art as well as assist many groups to develop various art and cultural proposals and projects with the help and contribution from ADESCA, Guatemalan cultural decentralization organization.

The gallery has received many international visitors who have an interest in art and Mayan culture. Through these frequent visits, the family met Dr. Hans Guggenheim who supported through collaboration with Sr. Miguel Ignacio to found the ASOCIACION DE ARTE Y CULTURA MAYA ITZAT, the Art and Mayan Cultural Association. Since 2001, it has been legally constituted and inscribed in the civil register of Chichicastenango’s Municipality in the department of Quiche. It can be found under the entry of 43_2001 on pages 82 and 83 in the legal personality.