Wettest and warmest of Guatemala’s coffee lands, the San Marcos growing region is located on the western slopes of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, a mountain range loaded with volcanos, and part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” (coffee trees love volcanic soil). San Marcos shares a border with Mexico to its north (the famed Chiapas region) and equally famous Huehuetenango region of Guatemala on the eastern side of the mountains. Like most remote areas, most coffee growers have their own small processing mills on site, and transport their beans in parchment.
Since it lies on the windward side of the mountains, rains are early and plenteous, bringing earlier flowering of the coffee trees than in some areas of the country. With an averages of 200 inches of precipitation per year, drying coffee can be especially challenging for farmers here. Most utilize a combination of sun drying on patios and finishing with gardiolas, mechanical dryers that help bring the moisture level in the beans to stable levels.