BACKSTRAP WEAVING - We offer one on one backstrap weaving instruction with local indigenous weavers. You can either take the classes in our instructor's home - which is a fabulous opportunity to not only learn to weave, but also to spend time with a Guatemalan family, experiencing indigenous life in a small village, on a day to day basis - or in a courtyard in Antigua.
If you are an experienced weaver, you'll learn centuries-old techniques that you've admired in Guatemalan weavings for years. If you are a novice, we've told our instructors to begin at the beginning, and teach you as they do their young daughters - who begin to weave around the age of 9 years. And for those who want to improve or simply maintain their Spanish language skills -- it's a lot more fun that sitting in a classroom for half a day !! You'll improve your Spanish, just by being around it!!
Our instructors do not speak English, so some basic Spanish is very helpful for this class. However, since weaving is something you learn by demonstration, not by explanation, don't let your lack of Spanish stop you from this great experience. Just don't forget your dictionary!!
One of our participants, Kennerly Clay (pictured below) wrote a story called "Backstrapped" about her experience with us - click here if you'd like to read it. BACKSTRAPPED
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Participants taking backstrap weaving stay with our participants from other workshops, so you have other like minded folks to buddy around with. We provide transportation to the village, and the backstrap loom, threads and additional helpful teaching materials are all included.
All of our instructors live in a small village called San Antonia Aguas Caliente or its neighbor Santa Catarina Barahona. Both are well known for their excellent textiles and beautiful huipils and are located just 20 minutes outside Antigua. Our instructors include Elda Lidia Tarton de Santos and along with her sisters Vilma Carmelina, Odilia and daughters Isrealita and Sindy.
We base out of the beautiful old colonial capital of ANTIGUA, with field trips, lectures by local experts, and demonstrations - along with a typical meal with a local family in a nearby village. We also go into Guatemala City for a behind the scenes special tour of Museo Ixchel, Guatemala's ethnic costume museum, as well as some magnificent fabric stores. We also spend time in the western highlands -- the heart of the Mayan indigenous world - and home to spectacularly gorgeous Lake Atitlan. We spend time in Santiago Atitlan and other lake villages, visiting weaver's cooperatives and learning about some of their inspiring community development projects. This tour is appropriate for appreciators of fine fabrics - as well as those who make them.
WEAVING, TEXTILES AND CRAFT TOUR ** THE SEQUEL Ok folks - we had so many people who have joined us on the original tour who wanted to return with us, but with a new and different itinerary, that we finally put together THE SEQUEL. Fiber artist and author Karen Searle will lead you north in Guatemala to more fascinating and remote locations. We'll spend a couple of days in lovely and familiar Antigua, but then we'll head to CHICHICASTENANGO, where you'll experience the largest textile market in the world.
We'll then continue north to Quetzaltenango (Xela), visiting local cooperatives and ikat weavers, and then journey to Totonicapan and Nahuala, in the heart of the Mayan highlands. We can't skip LAKE ATITLAN, even though we've been there before. It is incredibly beautiful and there are plenty more villages to explore. Since we stayed on the Santiago Atitlan side of the lake for our original tour, this time we'll stay closer to Panajachel and visit a few villages and cooperatives that we didn't see the first time around. What an adventure !!
**It is not necessary to have been on the original tour to join us on this one. It is open to all all appreciators of fine fabrics with an adventuresome spirit.
WEAVING, TEXTILES AND CRAFT TOUR ** EXPLORING THE VILLAGES OF LAKE ATITLAN This trip we'll focus on learning about and visiting the villages of magical, mystical LAKE ATITLAN. We'll call Santiago Atitlan home base, and from there visit cooperatives in most of the lake's villages, including San Lucas Toliman, Santa Catarina Polopo, San Antonio Polopo and San Juan, San Pedro and San Marcos la Laguna. We'll stay five nites at the lovely POSADA SANTIAGO. Lucky us !!
As with all our weaving tours, you'll meet and learn from many local experts. But this trip, there will be additional discussions on the strong cultural link between backstrap weaving and the spiritual aspects of female identity (in Mayan legends weaving was a gift to women from the goddess Ixchel). This is topic of special interest to Karen, and I'm researching Mayan spirituality and how it has traditionally been used in healing (Ixchel is also the goddess of healing). Then, of course, there is the pretty fascinating subject of the Mayan calendar's long count end date - winter solstice 2012 - and its implications. So we'll explore that a bit, too. I'm thinking of suggesting a few books to read beforehand to facilitate lively discussions !! We designed this experience to be a bit more relaxed than our other tours - the original, where we spend most of our time based in Antigua, then the SEQUEL, where our focus is traveling throughout the Quetzalteango (Xela) area, and most recently our new venture into the Ixil Triangle. 
A fabulous location but yes, a lot of time on the road. Our returnee folks requested Lakes Villages, in part to simply enjoy the beauty and villages of the lake. However, there is PLENTY to experience and learn, and although it may be difficult to find time to sit by the pool and relax, we'll certainly give it a try!!
WEAVING, TEXTILES AND CRAFT TOUR ** EXPLORING THE QUICHE MAYA HIGHLANDS Travel with us to the IXIL TRIANGLE,so named because of the three villages - SANTA MARIA NEBAJ, SAN JUAN COTZAL AND CHAJUL SAN GASPAR - surrounded by the Cuchumatanes mountains, located in the heart of the Quiche Mayan highlands. It is an area that was isolated for many years (bad roads!! when I first took a photography workshop in 1996 it took us 2 days driving to get there. Now we arrive in 5 hours) It is an area that was particularly hard hit during the 30 year civil war.
But, it is also one of the most beautiful areas of Guatemala. High mountains, foggy mists, gorgeous high altitude light, green fields, and of course Guatemala's greatest asset, her beautiful people wearing and weaving their traditional, colorful traje. We start out in lovely and familiar ANTIGUA, then pass through Chichicastenango on our way to Nebaj. The mountain views are breathtakingly beautiful !! There we'll take a look at rural weaving coops and communities, helping indigenous weavers support their families with backstrap weaving. You'll begin each day with a short lecture on various aspects of traditional Mayan weaving, its history and status today.
WEAVING, TEXTILES AND CRAFT TOUR ** EXPLORING COBAN - I just met with Olga Reiche here in Antigua and we've decided to offer a weaving excursion to Coban this coming March 2011. Olga Reiche is from the Coban area. Even though she grew up in Guatemala City, she spent childhood vacations with her grandparents in Coban. Weaving techniques in Coban are just as beautiful and difficult to master as the best of those in the Guatemalan highlands. Olga feels that there is very limited emphasis on this area of Guatemala and she is the perfect person to show it to us. More details to follow.
This workshop is appropriate for all who love the arts and want to combine learning with a rich cultural experience. Join us !!!
NATURAL DYE FOR COTTON AND HARD FIBERS - Ever thought that the old traditional methods of dying fibers had been lost - along with so many other ancient arts?? Nowadays, Guatemalan indigenous weavers buy their factory-made threads at local markets. But you can learn how the Mayans dyed locally grown cotton centuries ago during this unique and exciting hands-on workshop.
You will begin by gathering and learning about local plants, flowers and roots that provide various kinds of colors of dyes. You'll work with the Cochineal (cocus-cacti) which is an insect. Instructor Olga Reiche will demonstrate how to work with three types of dyes: tanine, vat dyes and dyes with mordent. Students will complete a sampler of all the various dyes and fibers they've worked with. Bring rubber gloves or be prepared for an interesting pair of hands at the end of each day!!!
