This is a woman with her two young girls dressed in traditional Guatemalan clothing. The tops women wear are called huipils. They are made from panels of textiles handwoven on a backstrap loom. Each huipil is unique and decorated with intricate brocade designs.
Lidia Lopez is an expert in backstrap loom weaving. Here she is showing the different patterns used on huipils from the different villages around Guatemala.
Feria Panajachel takes over the town every October to celebrat Saint Francis of Assisi.
Guatemalan women use raw cotton for weaving textiles. They prepare the cotton before spinning and dying it with natural dyes.
Guatemalan families often incorporate corn into their meals in the form of tortillas.
Huipils and textiles made by Mayan women in Guatemala are handmade. The thread is made by cleaning and spinning cotton.
The women of Guatemala have worn the same traditional dress (called ‘traje’) for centuries. They have passed down the art of weaving these textiles through many generations.