Features

MAYAN WEAVERS of Los Altos de Chiapas, Mexico in Berkeley on Saturday

Rob Browning
Friday March 16, 2018 - 04:59:00 PM

Weavers from the Jolom Mayaetik Weaving Cooperative, in Chiapas, Mexico, will be demonstrating their work and offering weavings for sale for one day only, Saturday, March 17, at Talavera Ceramics & Tile in Berkeley.

Jolom Mayaetik, which translates to “Women Who Weave” from Mayan Tzotzil, was founded in 1996 and is one of the most progressive weaving cooperatives in Chiapas. The organization promotes sustainable economic development for indigenous women, in a democratic structure run collectively by general assemblies and a popular vote. Unlike more traditional cooperatives in Mexico, the weavers of Jolom Mayaetik are also advancing human rights through educational programs, cultural empowerment, and political mobilization.

Working on backstrap looms, these weavers utilize methods passed down through generations to combine old-world symbolism with new colors and designs. Their most striking textiles are the huipiles woven as ceremonial garments and women’s attire. Huipiles are traditional, loose-fitting women’s blouses, handwoven by panel and sewn together flat. Mayan huipiles vary in style throughout the culturally distinct regions of Chiapas and distinguish the wearer by their locale. Blouses in the blusa Maya style are modern adaptations, with traditional symbols rendered in bright colors never envisioned by their makers’ ancestors.