Agros Blog

With the recent passing of Juan, “Señor Tortilla,” Agros has lost an inspirational community leader, a wise and patient employee, and a dear friend. Juan was a father of six, and husband to Juana. He passed away on August 19th, 2009, and will be greatly missed.

Señor Tortilla, as he was known among his North American counterparts for his appetite for hand-thrown tortillas, first joined Agros 15 years ago at a meeting of families interested in forming what would become Agros’ fifth village, El Paraiso. The families had survived a brutal civil war and had journeyed from miles to share their dreams for development of a new community.

Señor Tortilla emerged as a natural leader during the development of El Paraiso and was trusted and respected by those in the community. He was a self-taught, locally renowned furniture craftsman and a keen, mentoring agronomist and soon became a loyal Agros employee. He helped pioneer the new villages of Trapichitos, Batzchocola and Xeucalvitz, translating Spanish into the three dialects of Ixil he spoke. Often you would find him with children from the communities, coloring, playing, and resting with them as they followed him through his days. He had strong faith and was devoted to serving his people.

His memory will live on through the lives of all that he touched in Guatemala and North America.