![]() ![]() You can sign up to visit Hiptipico on the ground in Guatemala and take a personal weaving class with our partner weaving cooperatives! That is what makes each and every weaving so incredibly special. ![]() Maya women and their bodies are physically and intimately engaged in every moment of a weavings creation. As a result, this process is far more physically engaging than it looks. Using their bodies back and forth to tighten and loosen the tension, the weaver's body is practically part of the loom and fabric. Pictured above is the traditional back-strap loom, which uses the weavers body to establish the tension needed to create the woven fabric. All rights reserved.At Hiptipico we honor the Maya culture by supporting the creativity, ingenuity and passion of local artisans in Guatemala. ©2017 by the San Francisco Airport Commission. Woodcock, Jolom Mayaetik SCS, and K’inal Antsetik A.C. ![]() Learn more! Download Empowering Threads: Textiles of Jolom Mayaetik here. This exhibition features textiles woven by Jolom Mayaetik artisans from the municipalities of San Andrés Larráinzar, Pantelhó, and Oxchuc. Committed to improving the lives of indigenous women, members of the Jolom Mayaetik are weaving with a powerful, collective voice. Unlike more traditional cooperatives in Mexico, the weavers of Jolom Mayaetik are also advancing human rights through educational programs, cultural empowerment, and political mobilization. The organization promotes sustainable economic development for indigenous women, in a democratic structure run collectively by general assemblies and a popular vote. ![]() Jolom Mayaetik, which translates to “Women Who Weave” from Mayan Tzotzil, was founded in 1996 and is one of the most progressive weaving cooperatives in Chiapas. The best prices for handwoven textiles are realized through cooperatives. With recessions, globalization, and privatization of communal farming lands, weaving is increasingly crucial for many families in Chiapas. Now they are also produced for sale, and backstrap weaving has become a primary means for indigenous women to earn supplementary income. In the past, weavers made woven items for themselves, for family members, and to trade. Textiles may be decorated with intricate brocade, a technique that introduces designs directly into the weaving process using colored thread. Traditional Mayan weaving is produced on the backstrap loom, a simple and portable device used for centuries that creates complex work in the hands of a skilled artisan. Today, a multitude of contemporary designs are being created by the weavers of Chiapas as personal expressions of their skill and craft. Meanings of certain older symbols are lost to the ages, with others altered by time and their respective places and cultures. Mayan symbolism may change with each weaver and their interpretation of designs. The sapo, or toad, is a symbol of fertility that springs to life at the start of each rainy season, when singing toads proliferate in cornfields and call for another bountiful harvest. The universe design is a diamond-shaped motif that illustrates the edges of the Mayan cosmos by each of its four sides. Many symbols and patterns woven into the textiles of Los Altos adapt designs from ancient Mayan civilizations. Blouses in the blusa Maya style are modern adaptations, with traditional symbols rendered in bright colors never envisioned by their makers’ ancestors. Mayan huipiles vary in style throughout the culturally distinct regions of Chiapas and distinguish the wearer by their locale. Huipiles are traditional, loose-fitting women’s blouses, handwoven by panel and sewn together flat. Their most striking textiles are the huipiles woven as ceremonial garments and women’s attire. Working on backstrap looms, these weavers are utilizing methods passed down through generations to combine old-world symbolism with new colors and designs. Empowering Threads: Textiles of Jolom MayaetikĪ unique and dedicated community of Mayan artisans are weaving brilliantly colored textiles in Los Altos de Chiapas, Mexico. ![]()
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