Pro Arte Maya ~ Marilyn Anderson

In December 2006, this article was published in the WARP (Weave A Real Peace) Newsletter. View the full text of this and other WARP newsletters here.

Maya Weavers and their Textiles — A Treasure of Guatemala and the World

In some countries, individuals or a whole group with rare skills receive honors, stipends and the designation as “living ” treasures. Maya weavers, worthy inheritors of millennial traditions, carry on an art esteemed world-wide and deserve similar honors.Their contribution to Guatemala has far reaching cultural and economic importance and no other country in Central America has comparable textile traditions.

A Long Textile History
The origin of the backstrap loom, still used today for weaving Maya traditional clothing, is said to date from six thousand years ago. The depictions of the clothing of Maya women in the ancient pottery decorations, carvings and paintings closely resemble some garments worn today. Archeologists have discovered fragments of textiles which give details about techniques and patterns used more than a thousand years ago. These images and artefacts allow Maya today to know that their traditional dress has a direct connection to their ancestors. Some contemporary Maya clothing also shows the influence of Colonial Spain — which various scholars have written about.

Maya weaving of the twenty first century can be said to reflect not only tradition but economics, politics and even war and peace. Through the continuing practice of their art, Maya weavers communicate, even if indirectly, their cultural resistance to powerful economic and political powers. In the 80s, a refugee speaking about the meaning of weaving told me, “It shows people on the outside that we want to live, we don’t want to die.”

Maya Weaving Communicates
Maya hand woven traditional clothing can reveal the wearers identity as a belonging to a certain linguistic group, her origin from a specific place, or place in a religious hierarchy.

Women, more than men, carry on the principal role of passing on the customs of how to wear and use these textiles. (With noteworthy exceptions in certain towns, economic and social pressures have caused Maya men to abandon their traditional clothing.) While scholars analyse weaving as communication, that “language” is well understood by Maya people from their everyday use of textiles. They recognize the origins of people wearing clothing different from theirs and “read” messages from the patterns and designs as well.The motifs on textiles can have meanings relating to the Maya belief system and to the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Maya.

We also learn about the importance of Maya clothing and identity by asking those who wear it. “I will never stop wearing my traditional clothing!” are the words to me of a Popti’ weaver in the 90s. In the 80s, a Mam woman in a Mexican refugee camp, pressured to wear ordinary clothes, said “I feel naked without my traditional dress.”

Weaving and Beauty
“The world will be saved by beauty,” words of the character of the Prince in Dostoievsky’s novel The Idiot.

It is probably not possible to measure the effect of beauty of Maya weaving art on the people of Guatemala, but their textiles touch visitors from around the world who buy it or see it in museums. Some including myself, upon arriving in Guatemala, become enthralled at their first glimpse of Maya women wearing their traditional clothing. However, everyone’s sense of what is beautiful is influenced by culture, class and education. A Maya educator in the 90s told me that Guatemala without the beauty of its weaving would be unthinkable for him to contemplate.

Some Technical Dimensions of Maya Weaving
Used mainly by women, the backstrap loom is constructed from sticks and threads and in order to weave using it requires a backstrap and rope to tie it to a support. Both its appearance and use can present an aura of magic for its beauty, ingenuity and simplicity. For example, the technique employing the string heddle and bar system of changing sheds — as the weaver alternates loom tension — is a marvel of inventiveness. The care required to construct the loom and doing the weaving is hard to grasp unless one tries both.

Patterning that gives that Maya weaving their distinctive designs and texture is done through the use of a variety of supplementary weft weaving techniques using the fingers, a bone needle or pick, or an extra set of heddles. Motifs used for patterning may have an ancient origin while others are more modern.

The role of treadle floor weaving is large, especially to produce the ikat “jaspeado” cloth used by women all over Guatemala. A number of kinds of looms, are used (hand Jacquard, draw looms and other large and small looms with different set-ups for a variety of weaving constructions and patterns).

Men are generally the treadle loom weavers but roles are changing as today more women also use them.

The Changing Role of Weaving and Commerce
“We used to weave just for ourselves” are words from the 70s by an elderly Popti’ Maya woman as she spoke about the increased commercialisation of their weaving.The capitalist industrial world mixes with difficulty with artist-artisan ways of production. Throughout Guatemala, mass production and increased importation of everyday items have made inroads or even caused the disappearance of the market for some handmade crafts. Sale of imported used clothing “ropa americana” displaces locally produced items. Civil war in the 80s, lack of land, jobs and poverty have forced many to migrate. These and still other reasons takes more and more Maya away from traditional life and from any opportunity to pursue their arts. But the FairTrade model and coops help those who rely on their artisan skills for vital income to obtain a just return their production. Support Maya Fair Trade in Guatemala!

Maya weavers have pursued their fragile yet resilient art for thousands of years. In the twenty first century textiles continue to exert their power as they play a part in the economy, culture and — imagination of Guatemala. In this age of computers and cyberspace, I am not the only one who believes the ancient art of weaving has lessons to teach us.

It is an honor to write an overview about Maya weavers’ art. I am acutely aware that many other WARP members also have a deep knowledge of it!

– Marilyn Anderson