Juan Perez is descendant of Mayan Indians with no formal training in the arts. He has made his way by depicting the political realism and magic of his Central American land.

Juan was born in the lush Guatemala mountain of Tacana. He began painting at a young age. He made his paints from roots, vegetation, and ashes. His family home, a limestone hut surrounded by trees and visited by hummingbirds, served as his first inspiration.