Worry dolls and woven baskets: 5 traditional crafts from Guatemala you have to try and buy
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Loading... - Mason Bell
- 09 Feb 2022
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The charming keepsakes made by local artisans in this Central American country reveal regional patterns, traditional skills and its ancient Mayan heritage
1. Textiles
Traditionally, Mayan women spun plant fibres into thread, although wool or cotton is more common today. They then weave the thread into fabric on a backstrap loom hooked around their back to create rugs, blankets and ponchos. Motifs and colours depict regional differences, with blue customary around Lake Atitlán, and triangles in mountain villages.
Where to buy textiles in Guatemala: Buy tablecloths from Atitlán Women Weavers (AWW), a cooperate of single mothers in San Pedro La Laguna that also hosts classes. Alternatively, learn to use a backstrap loom at Cojolya Association of Maya Women Weavers in Santiago Atitlán. Contact for prices.
2. Basket-weaving
Local women stitch coils of longleaf pine needles and dried sage-green pajón grass together with raffia, which is dyed as vibrant as Guatemala’s native bird, the quetzal. The baskets, which emit a subtle pine scent, are used to collect coffee cherries, to display produce at markets or as plates, coasters and decorative wall hangings.
Where to buy woven baskets in Guatemala: The mountain town of Chichicastenengo hosts one of Guatemala’s biggest markets every Thursday and Sunday. If you want to get creative, join a course led by Los Pinos Cooperative in Patanatic near Lake Atitlán. Contact Maya Traditions for prices.
3. Worry dolls
The size of a fingernail or thumb, worry dolls are made by wrapping foam and fabric around a toothpick. Local children tuck the dolls under their pillow at night, tell them their worries, and the dolls take them away. The figures represent the Mayan princess Lxmucane as, according to legend, the sun god gave her the gift of problem solving.
Where to buy worry dolls in Guatemala: You can buy worry dolls across Guatemala. You can make the dolls at Doña Rosa’s house in San Lorenzo el Cubo near Antigua, on a tour with Niños de Guatemala; approx £25. Read More…
