Endangered Threads

Endangered Threads: Weaving in GuatemalaEndangered Threads: Weaving in GuatemalaWeaving in Guatemala is an art that has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. Technical, colorful, creative and varied, it reflects both local culture and personal expression. In the early 2000s, I spent 3 months in Guatemala on a research fellowship. My focus was on indigenous women, who are seen as the perpetuators and nurturers of family and culture, as well as significant contributors to household economics, yet at the same time marginalized. I returned several times over the next eight years working with a nonprofit to make educational documentaries about endangered cultural art forms, focusing specifically on the weaving tradition.
Guatemala borders the south of Mexico, and is a country roughly the size of Ohio. Of the more than 12 million people who live here, just under half identify as indigenous Maya. People who in myriad and modern ways carry on the cultural traditions of their ancestors. People with a culture as colorful and varied as the weavings they create.
Endangered Threads: Weaving in GuatemalaSantiago AtitlánBackstrap LoomTeresa, PanajachelSanta Catarina PalopóSan Juan CotzalSan Juan CotzalXelaTotonicapánTotonicapánSololáSan Antonio PalopóSan Antonio PalopóSololáPajumujuyupPajumujuyupChichicastenangoChichicastenangoChichicastenangoChuculjuyup
© Cheryl L. Guerrero
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