Meet our family
Our trustworthy and loving family. From many backgrounds. We all value Maya culture and honoring our ancestors and loved ones.
Pedro Tuyub
Housing Program Manager
Pedro Tuyub is Yucatec Maya and serves as Housing Opportunities Program Manager at the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) in San Francisco. One of the festival’s original co-founders and a driving force behind its community partnerships, Pedro brings together the Maya and Latinx communities of the Mission District and ensures that practical resources — from housing to financial empowerment — are always part of the festival’s programming
Rita Moran
Director of Mayan Woman in Art
Rita Moran is a retired ESL Professor at CCSF and the Director and Curator of Maya Women in Art, a collection that promotes the dignity and human rights of Indigenous and Latina women through contemporary Maya art. A co-founder of the festival, Rita has curated the festival’s art exhibits since its inception, including the landmark “Maya Women: Life, Art, Hope” exhibit that brought the work of seminal Maya painters to the CCSF community.
Francisco Icala
Interpreter and Mayan Leader
Francisco Icalá Tiriquiz is a Maya leader from Guatemala who trained at the National Indigenous Community School in Chichicastenango. An interpreter for the Maya K’iche’ community in California Courts, he also serves as a trained Health Promotor. He is currently the Lead Promotor for the Indigenous Program at Instituto Familiar de la Raza in San Francisco.
Steven Mayers
Professor at City College
Steven Mayers is a Professor of English at City College of San Francisco and Co-Coordinator of the Puente Program at CCSF’s Mission Campus. He is a co-founder of the Bay Area Maya Festival and serves as the CCSF community liaison. He is co-editor of Solito, Solita: Crossing Borders with Youth Refugees from Central America.
Lydia Candila Chan
Director of Asociacion Mayab
Lydia Candila Chan is the Executive Director of Asociación Mayab, acting as an advocate for the Yucatec Maya community in San Francisco. Under her leadership, the organization provides vital resources, including a food pantry for hundreds of families and advocacy for culturally competent healthcare that addresses the specific linguistic needs of Maya languages.
Join the Team
Send us a message and share our vision. All are welcome to join, support, and present their Maya project for the next upcoming festival
