Cotton Dyer © Marilyn Anderson. Linocut, 8″ x 10″
The dyer works in a small shop in Salcajá and uses chemical agents to dye cotton yarns. In fact, the brilliant colors of chemical dyes have long been the “trademark” of the textiles produced by most Maya weavers. However, new interest has arisen in natural dyeing and a number of projects exist that now encourage it. More recently, large dye houses in Salcajá with modern machinery have replaced a number of small workshops.