The vibrant character of Guatemala is most visible in its handwoven textiles, which are still in everyday use and readily available in native markets all over the country. A Textile Traveler's Guide to Guatemala is an excellent resource for discovering artisans, markets, shops, and those storied regional textile traditions. Geared to independent-minded travelers, this guide presents the safest and most accessible methods of travel, where and when to go, where to stay, and what to eat. Expert advice helps the traveler know what to look for, how to distinguish high-quality work, and how to bargain intelligently and ethically. With abundant photographs, this guide celebrates the color, joy, and energy of folklife in Guatemala.

Against the backdrop of Guatemala, this book presents portraits of artisans working in the ancient traditions of the Maya paired with insights into the creation of the textiles and the events that have affected their work. Weaving, spinning, and basket making have sustained the Maya economically and culturally against the pressures of change and a 36-year civil war that decimated their population. Their persistence in continuing traditional art has created some of the loveliest, most colorful textiles the world has ever known. Artisans share their personal histories, hopes, and dreams along with the products of their hands and looms. Their stories show determination in the face of unimaginable loss and hardship which instill an appreciation for the textiles themselves and for the strong people who create them.

Guatemala is one of the few places on earth where traditional textile arts from ancient cultures survive: Mayan spinners and weavers still produce the traditional motifs developed by their ancestors, but modern dyes add brilliant, luminous color to their textiles. This book presents 150 superb photographs by Gianni Vecchiato, providing a magnificent view of the textiles people, and daily life of Guatemala. It is truly a feast for the eye and spirit.

The Maya Textile Tradition provides an in-depth look at the life and art of the Maya of southern Mexico and Central America. Some 145 stunning images, made by the award-winning photographer Jeffrey Jay Foxx and arranged in breathtaking color portfolios, capture the glorious Maya arts and culture as preserved since ancient times. The photographs combine with artful line drawings made especially for this book, an introduction by Linda Schele, co-author of the groundbreaking study of Maya civilization The Blood of Kings, and texts by four leading Mayanists to provide a unique portrait of these proud and vital people. Ecologist James D. Nations introduces us to the history and ecology of the Maya world; Guatemalan author and curator Linda Asturias de Barrios discusses how the old ways still guide the people in their farming, marketing, and weaving; textile specialist Margot Blum Schevill writes on innovation and change in Maya textile art; and anthropologist Robert S. Carlsen discusses ceremony and ritual in the Maya world.

For over two millennia, the Ixil Maya communities of northwestern Guatemala have fought to preserve their unique language and cultural identity. The ancient homelands of these mountain Maya encompass 2,324 square kilometers of magnificent cloud forests, gushing waterfalls, secluded valleys and the townships of Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal in the rugged Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. This unconventional guide invites Guatemalan and international travelers to discover the extraordinary beauty and rich culture of the Ixil Region through its history of struggle and resilience, local knowledge, heartfelt conversations, and hands-on experience of ancestral cultural traditions, economic innovations, and social transitions.

The author, who at 32 years old experienced early menopause, chronicles her tireless efforts to adopt a Guatemalan child, including uprooting her life and moving to Antigua in order to navigate the thorny adoption process and finally bring her daughter home. Original.

Recognizing the dire need for more income-generating opportunities for Maya women in Guatemala, an accomplished American textile artist volunteered to teach one rug-hooking class. What follows is a surprising and heartening story about artistry, creative economies, and how access to opportunity truly does change lives. At the heart of Rug Money is the work of artist Mary Anne Wise and her committed team at Multicolores, the rug-hooking nonprofit they formed in Guatemala. In a moving narrative, Mary Anne describes how she created a curriculum for teaching art and design based on her Maya students' needs and abilities, while honoring their culture, and how they later brought their rugs to the famed International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe to much acclaim and successful sales. Rug Money celebrates the extraordinary achievement of Multicolores in creating community, education, and empowerment. While there was no business plan at the outset, the success of Multicolores serves as a model for how to organize and advance a nonprofit while effecting powerful social change.