As a child, Pedro Rafael González enjoyed watching his grandfather paint, so he was given a set of watercolors so he could paint too. The grandfather was San Pedro's first painter, and he instilled in young Pedro Rafael the dedication of a lifetime. After sixth grade he wanted to stay in school, but his family was poor so he left for Guatemala City to work as a gardener. In the City he visited his uncle, Jose Antonio González, a painter who sold his work on the street. Pedro Rafael moved in with his uncle, sketching subjects on canvas for the older man to paint. Learning from his uncle's techniques with oils, Pedro Rafael soon began creating his own paintings, and on Sundays the two wandered the city, trying to sell paintings near the expensive hotels.

Pedro Rafael worked with his uncle for a year, but after the great earthquake of 1976 he moved back to San Pedro and continued painting on his own. After getting a job as a bilingual grade school teacher, he no longer needed to produce tourist art, and he could finally afford to be more original and detailed. His paintings became the most accomplished and richly colored of all the Mayan painters. Benjamin González, a promoter and the brother of established painters Mariano and Matias, loved cousin Pedro Rafael's paintings and invited him to be part of their group. For five years, the three artists were known as the "Bothers González Chavajay," becoming famous throughout Guatemala, and with exhibitions in greater Latin America, the U.S. and Japan. Although independently successful today, he still remains a major figure in their circle.

Men of Corn

Cutzán River

Lane of Thatched Huts

Rites: Men of Corn