Guatemalan coffee shop in Boyle Heights celebrates indigenous identity, ancestral language

In Boyle Heights, one coffee shop is doing more than serving caffeine — it's serving culture, history and healing.

At Ülëw Coffee & Juice, a family-owned and operated shop, the K'iche' Mayan language that was once silenced by stigma is now spoken proudly over the sound of steaming milk.

"This is a language that's spoken in Guatemala, especially in El Kiche," said Jefri Lindo, co-owner of the shop. 

Lindo is redefining what a neighborhood café can be, transforming it into a space where indigenous identity and ancestral language aren't just remembered, they're reclaimed.

"We have many first-generation born here that their parents spoke the language of K'iche', but they were never able to teach their kids for the fear of not being able to have many opportunities," Lindo said. "A lot of people come here and say, 'Hey, my parents speak the language, but I never learned, or they never taught me.'"

But that all changes at Ülëw. The menu features three languages: English, Spanish and K'iche'.

"I was born and raised in Guatemala, and I came here when I was 15," Lindo said.

Speaking only K'iche' and Spanish, eventually he and his family started a pop-up juice stand on the corner of Soto and Olympic.

Months later, they moved into this permanent space inside the Mini Mall, transforming it into Ülëw, a name rooted in Mayan identity.

"It's a Mayan K'iche' word that means earth or land," Lindo said.

Now, the café functions as what many call a "third space," somewhere between home and work, but with a mission.

Verenice Sandoval is Guatemalan, and she says this space feels comforting.

"It's a space where you can ask questions. It's a space where you can learn an indigenous language like K'iche'," Sandoval said. "It's a space where you can truly be yourself and in a time where it's so divisive."

Co-owner Christopher Lindo says Ülëw is more than just a shop; it's a place to translate love to people through art, coffee, and culture.

Amid ongoing immigration enforcement operations, the Lindo family says they're staying grounded in the community and their ancestral language.

"We use language in a way to share some hope that we're going to be okay, that there's a space here for us and we should be proud of who we are," Jefri Lind said.

With every cup poured, Ülëw proves ancient identities aren't relics of the past; they're alive, thriving, and helping shape the future of Los Angeles.