New skills for indigenous women weavers, Guatemala

In indigenous communities, both women and men weave cloth for their family and for ceremonial, artistic, and increasingly, commercial purposes. Each community produces unique weaving styles with symbolic stories reflected in their work. While many cultural aspects are disappearing, weaving has endured because of the values it holds for the weaver.

Women weavers will usually use the backstrap weaving technique to create guipiles, (blouses) and men will use the foot loom weaving technique to make longer pieces such as fajas (belts) and cortes (wrap-around skirts). Until recently, women in Guatemala generally used only the back-strap weaving technique, taking 2-3 months to finish 1 textile product.

The process of weaving on a foot-loom is much faster than weaving on a back-strap loom. In addition, foot-loom products are more consistent in their weave, as they can be quickly mass-produced and then cut to order.

Traditionally, only men are trained to use foot-looms. A weaving on foot-loom can produce many units of one traditional design within 1 or 2 days. When retailers come to Guatemala to export indigenous textile products, it is the men who are given the business to produce the textiles for export and the opportunity to earn more.