Walking through San Juan La Laguna, located in the Highlands of Guatemala, is like taking a step back in time — centuries of tradition and a relaxed lifestyle, framed by beautiful mountains with three looming volcanoes, a stunning lake, and striking green vegetation engulfed in colorful tropical flowers.
At the center of this picture are the Tz’utujil Maya weavers of San Juan La Laguna who are a group of incredible women known throughout the country for their traditional back strap weaving technique and for making their own pure organic cotton thread, employing natural dyes, and the use of banana leaves as the natural mordent to help set the dye.
These women grow their own cotton, harvest it by hand, spin it using ancient techniques, and then use natural dyes and colorants derived from locally found plants, tree, bark, berries, leaves, roots, wood, and insects. Some of the plants that they use for dyeing are coconut shell, pericón, pepper, beets, eucalyptus, purple basil, hibiscus flowers, and achiote, among many others.
Everything from the spin of the yarn and the intricate designs and symbols woven into the textiles, to the colors used express a wealth of meaning about the weaver, culture, and traditions.
We take care of all the weaving supplies, so come ready to learn and have a great time.
