Our History
The Carmona family arrived in Santa Fe in the 1980s, seeking safety and opportunity after surviving the violence and displacement that devastated Indigenous Maya communities during Guatemala’s internal armed conflict, events recognized internationally as acts of genocide. Even in those difficult years, Guatemala remained our ancestral home, the source of our language, our identity, and our connection to the land.
In 1996, Mr. Carmona began purchasing decommissioned American school buses, restoring each one with care and craftsmanship, and driving them all the way to Guatemala.
What began as a practical solution quickly became a cultural statement. Those yellow buses, once forgotten in desert lots, were reborn as vibrant camionetas—painted in a fusion of Chicano Nuevo Mexicano art and Maya Kaqchikel symbolism, reflecting the family’s two worlds.
Over time, these buses became bridges between homelands: the high desert of American Southwest and the highlands of Guatemala.
They connected cultures, blended artistic traditions, and opened essential transportation routes.
Rutas Santa Fe’s buses were among the first to offer consistent service between San Antonio Aguas Calientes and Antigua Guatemala, giving families reliable access to work, markets, education, and new opportunities that had long been out of reach. Rutas Santa Fe was born from movement, born from survival, creativity, and the desire to turn roads into opportunities.
Today, that legacy continues in every kilometer traveled, in every bus restored, and in every community we serve honoring both the ancestors who endured and the future we are building.
The story of Rutas Santa Fe lives between two homelands: Guatemala and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Our mission is to provide safe and trusted transportation that honors our Indigenous Kaqchikel roots, supports local employment, and preserves the cultural legacy of the Guatemalan camioneta.
Through ethical tourism and community-focused service, we connect travelers and families while uplifting the communities that built us.
Mission
Vision
Choosing us means traveling with a company that moves culture forward, one route, one community, one story at a time.
Each day, Rutas Santa Fe connects families, communities, and visitors while honoring our Kaqchikel and Guatemalan heritage.
Our work generates local employment, improves rural mobility, and keeps the legacy of our iconic buses alive as symbols of Indigenous creativity and pride.
More than transportation: movement with purpose
To transform the legacy of our family and our buses into a bridge between Guatemala and the world — inspiring pride at home, opportunity for our communities, and authentic cultural experiences for every traveler.
