MAYAN FAMILIES :  TRADITIONAL MAYAN WEAVING - TRAJE PROJECT. 

MAY 27, 2006

TRADITIONAL CLOTHING BLOG: We are working on this page. This is an ongoing year round project.

One of the projects that is very close to our heart is enabling the people who wear traditional clothing to be able to maintain their culture. We have a project of buying and giving second hand Guipils( pronounced weepeel) and Cortes ( traditional skirt) at a fraction of the cost of new ones and giving them to children and adults who cannot afford to buy new ones. These children, daughters of Chabeli from Tierra Linda, both received "new" Cortes and Guipils yesterday. They were thrilled.

The main reason that there are less children wearing traditional clothing in Guatemala is because the family cannot afford to buy it for them.  The cost of new hand woven clothing is very expensive.  If you would like to donate a Guipil ( blouse) or a Corte       ( skirt) for a child - we can buy them second hand for around $10 US each.  If you would like to donate a new Guipil or Corte to a child - the costs is approx. $25 US for a blouse and approx. $40 for a traditional skirt.

The woven belts that they use cost approx. $7.  These costs are way beyond the means of many families here who would like their children to be able to wear the traditional clothing but because of economic hardships are forced to buy second hand western clothes.

May 26^th, 2006 

Zoe and Aleeya enjoying the Corte Market.

The Indigenous Traje (traditional clothing – i.e. guipil and Corte – blouse and long wrapped skirt) is one of the most aesthetic expressions of Mayan culture. 

Since Pre-Columbian times Mayan women have taken threads and woven by hand this exquisite textiles exemplifying  pride in their family and tribal group. 

Despite the encroachment of the modern world in the form of cheap, industrial clothing the Highland Maya women have struggled to keep weaving their artistic vision and individual pride into the threads of these unique garments. 

Unfortunately, the cost of the raw materials is becoming progressively beyond their economic means and this is resulting in a whole generation of young people who are in danger of losing their cultural identity.   

The recent climatic event, in particular Hurricane Stan, wiped out many peoples homes and possessions including their traditional clothing and weaving looms. 

Emergency foreign aid in the form of donated used western clothing has exacerbated this situation. 

The cultural traditions are still strong enough that many people refused to receive this clothing but others were forced by necessity to wear something that is alien to their way of life. 

Much of the cost of the thread that is needed for them to make their own garments is distributed through several middle men resulting in a situation that the cost to follow their traditions is prohibitive.   

We are proposing to purchase the natural cotton thread directly from the cotton manufacturers and make it available at cost to the weavers of each village that is still following that tradition. 

This would give them the access to the raw materials that they need to produce their own clothing and clothing to sell. 

The cost of each guipil varies depending on the quality and type of thread used and the number of colors the individual wishes to include. 

For a woman in the village of San Jorge or Tierra Linda  to purchase a Corte is now at the cost of  $54 to $125. To purchase a guipil the cost is $47 to $150 and up. The average income for a family with a husband earning a good wage is $160 a month. For a single mother, which many o the women in  our women's groups are, the income could be $54 a month.   

It is impossible for them to purchase anything but second hand western clothes for their children no matter how much they would like to carry on their tradition. 

Through purchasing the raw materials in bulk we would be able to bring the cost down to below half of the above figures.    

We propose to buy this thread in bulk…….make it available to women on no interest loan.  They in turn can make their own garments or use the thread for weavings that will increase their income and reinforce their pride in their cultural identity and continue the art of back strap weaving as a part of the family tradition.    

If there is no thread available for young girls to weave with, this unique art form will be lost. 

We would like a budget of $5,000 to start this project.

We would make the thread available at cost to the individual weaver, the cost of the thread would be defrayed over a period of time as a micro loan similar to the other projects that we have proposed to you.    This project would be divided between San Jorge la Laguna, Tierra Linda and Panajachel initially with the hope that we could

include other villages in the future. 

We are fortunate enough to have the experience of Rosina Usatch, who has 40 yrs of experience in Guatemalan and World textiles.  She was a consultant to the recent successful Traje project that was run in San Juan and San Pablo la Laguna.

 Thank you for your consideration.   

MAYAN FAMILIES.

Rosina and Baby Aleeya at the twice weekly Corte market. Please visit Guatemala, Mexico and the Mayan Route thru Central America, we strongly encourage travelers to see for themselves the History, Culture and Beauty of the Living Mayan Peoples and communities throughout the area.