The women in Guatemala often use raw cotton when weaving textiles. They must first prepare the cotton by picking out the seeds, cleaning it, and then beating it with forked sticks. Then they can spin it into yarn and dye the threads with natural dyes: indigo to produce blue colors, cochineal for red, etc.
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.
Lidia Lopez showing a ceremonial huipil and a huipil from Tactic and telling the meanings of the patterns on them.
The Guatemalan women in this photo are wearing folded up ‘tzutes’ on their heads to shade their faces.
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.
This little girl from Guatemala is wearing traditional clothing and carrying worry dolls.
Lidia Lopez describing the meanings of the patterns on a huipil from Patzicia, Guatemala.