How It All Began…
When I first stepped foot onto the land in 2021, it was a rugged, overgrown mountainside. I chopped through the brush with a machete until I reached a vantage point where I could take in the land’s sweeping views of the lake, sky, valley, and volcanoes. A feeling of peace and calm washed over me as I experienced a deep connection with the majesty of nature. I felt a clear, calm knowing that I would live here. I felt completely at-home.
My mind did not have answers to how, when, and why, and what it might be like to live in Tzununá, an unfamiliar small town in rural Guatemala, but a deeper part of me knew it was right. This began a soulful journey to uncover what this land wanted to become and how it would grow me too.
For three years, I worked with the land and it worked on me. It showed me how generous and loving the Earth is and also how to honor and respect the natural pace of creation. It asked me to make no less than one million decisions, testing my devotion to beauty and life. The land became a companion, a guide, and it held my transition from maiden to mother as I stepped into mama birding this nest.
I am proud to share the first flowering of this seed of a dream: a homestead, a retreat center, a permaculture garden, a sustainable living space and a beautiful space to vacation, live, work, and learn, where all life thrives.
Casa Awänímä is the living example of what I believe makes a rich life, and my hope is that it sparks a remembrance in the hearts of all who visit.
When you taste the sweetness of “how good it can be” living amongst plants, sunlight, fresh air, volcano views and good people, there’s no going back. Your heart will long for what is true and good and will lead you on the path towards deeper wholeness.
May this space support you in finding what is most important to you, so that you may return home and cultivate the life of your soul’s desire. This is how we create the more beautiful world.
—Mackenzie Barth, founder
Casa Awänímä is an example of how people can live in relationship with the Earth, embrace the rhythms of nature, and nurture vibrant, inter-cultural communities based in creativity, connection, and shared values.
our guiding values
Rooted in permaculture principles and a commitment to care
Casa Awänímä is an eco-retreat where creativity flourishes, dreams come into form, and community thrives. This sanctuary was created to inspire and empower individuals to develop regenerative lifestyles, a deep appreciation for nature, and a sense of possibility within themselves and the world.
People Care
We aim to create a environment that is relaxing, inspiring, and enlivening, and we have thoughtfully designed the spaces to help people feel at-home. Private rooms provide solace and comfort, and our communal spaces help people to connect with each other, share stories, and build meaningful friendships. We want people to feel deeply nourished when they leave here.
Earth Care
We take care of the Earth using permaculture principles, planting and tending to plants, creating habitats for birds and insects, and managing water effectively by slowing, spreading, and sinking it into the ground. We’ve reforested the mountainside with thousands of native trees and grow fruit, veggies, and herbs free of chemicals and pesticides. We aim to produce no waste: our chickens eat food scraps and bugs in the compost pile, our plants thrive on compost-amended soil, and our dry toilet will soon fertilize young trees.
Fair Share
We generate abundance so we can share it with our local team and the wider Tzununá community. Once our team is taken care of, we use extra funds to bring corn to families and elders in need, give women canastas basicas and children toys during Christmas, and organize trash pickups to clean up local waterways. We’re always looking for ways to be of even more support to the local community, to build bridges of reciprocity and promote goodwill and vitality around us.
Beauty in the Handmade
We prioritize and celebrate everything that’s made better with human hands: woven textiles, painted canvas, hand-built ceramics, earthen plasters, chisel-carved stones, carefully stacked terraces, hand-sifted soils, and machete-chopped coffee tree bannisters. Imbued into every inch of the space is the human touch and thousands of hours of attention, focus, learning, and dedication. This energy is felt, and sets a new standard for how to relate to the material world.
Meet the Team
We are proud that our whole team lives and works in Tzununá and that this property has been built and tended to by local hands.
built on the foundation of COLLABORATION
Mackenzie and Eliseo are the primary caretakers of Casa Awänímä. Mackenzie is from the US and moved to Guatemala in 2021 where she met Eliseo (Cheyo), who grew up in Tzununá. Cheyo was the first person to work on the land and has worked tirelessly to move rocks, dig holes, build walls, plant trees, and tend gardens. The two have forged a strong partnership collaborating to create Casa Awänímä. They are also supported and forever entertained by their beloved dogs, Spike and Moch, pictured here.
mackenzie barth
Jefa, visionary, community weaver
Eliseo Perez simaj
Jefe, property and hospitality manager
Francia Perez simaj
Land caretaker
michaela rafael tepaz
Chefa & Housekeeper
antonio martin
Land caretaker
israel perez simaj
Land caretaker
We give great thanks to all the people that have contributed project from the beginning. It’s only possible because of the collaboration of many. Special thanks to Natalia Beneitez, Maria Xtal’y, and Andrea Nuñez for their art and digital storytelling and to One Big Family and Buena Semilla for being the first groups to bring Casa Awänímä to life.
About Tzununá
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Tzununá is a Mayan word that translates to land of hummingbirds and water.
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Our neighbors are Kaqchikel Mayan. They speak their native language, maintain traditional gender roles, and most women wear the typical woven trajes. Many live inter-generationally, value family, and participate in the church. Corn is a fundamental food and considered a sacred plant, with many families planting and tending to their own milpas in the mountains.
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Guatemala is known as the land of eternal spring. The temperature is always comfortable: you can wear short sleeves and linen pants during the days and a sweatshirt at night. Sunny season is from November through May, which means the sun shines all day and the stars glimmer at night. It’s warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and chilly at night. In rainy season (May - November), the weather is humid and warm, with afternoon rainstorms and lush and verdent foliage. In July, the sun comes out again for a few glorious weeks.
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Tzununá has a local produce market in the town cenker as well as an ex-pat run kirtan and ecstatic dance on Sundays. There are a few cafes to visit, an herbal apothecary, a yoga center, and plenty of mountains and waterfalls to explore.
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Tzununa is a small pueblo and easily accessible by walking. You can hike nearby mountains and walk downhill to the town center. Tuk tuks and boats are easily available to visit nearby towns.
