Lidia Lopez is an expert in backstrap loom weaving. Here she teaches visitors how to weave in her home in Guatemala. Weaving on a backstrap loom is truly an art form, and it takes many years of practice. Maya women teach their children to weave from a very early age so they have a trade they can depend on in order to support their families in the future.
Lidia Lopez Teaching the Art of Backstrap Loom Weaving
February 9, 2011 by
Lidia Lopez is a Mayan woman from Guatemala. She is very experienced weaving on a backstrap loom and teaches people from around the world the art of weaving. Here she is demonstrating the technique she uses to a group of visiting Americans and Japanese women.
Lidia Lopez Demonstrating the Backstrap Loom Method of Weaving
February 9, 2011 by
Lidia Lopez is a Mayan woman who lives in San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala. Here she is demonstrating the backstrap loom, a method of weaving Maya Indians have used for centuries to create beautiful textiles. She not only teaches visitors how to weave, she also dedicates most of her time teaching the children in Guatemala. Weaving is important to the Mayan culture because it is the method used to make the peoples’ traditional clothing, called traje. Also, it is a source many Guatemalan women rely on to support their families financially.
A Guatemalan Family Cooking Pepian & Making Tortillas
February 9, 2011 by
This is a great example of a traditional Guatemalan household. The people in the video are Lidia Lopez and her family from San Antonio Aguas Calientes making Pepian and tortillas. They are dressed in ‘traje’ which is traditional clothing Mayan women have worn for centuries. This household is very indicative of many of the homes in Guatemala today.
Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Dress in Guatemala City, Guatemala
February 3, 2011 by
This is a museum dedicated to the indigenous dress of the Mayan people of Guatemala. It shows the history of weaving textiles and how the tradition dates back hundreds of years. Although times have changed, the art of backstrap loom weaving has survived and is prevalent in the Guatemalan culture today. It is important to the Maya heritage and to each individual’s social and ethnic identity. The woman standing at the top of the steps in this video is JoAnn Paulsen, founder of www.guatemalanhuipils.com.
Mayan Woman, Lidia Lopez, Explaining the Meanings of the Patterns on Huipils & What They Represent.
February 2, 2011 by
Lidia Lopez is a Mayan woman from Guatemala. In this video she is describing each huipil and telling what the symbols mean and where it came from. She has a huipil from Tactic and a ceremonial huipil used for weddings and special occasions. The symbols used on huipils today are the same symbols that have been used for centuries and they can tell a lot about where the huipil is from.
Lidia Lopez Explaining Symbols on Huipils & Their Origins
February 2, 2011 by
Lidia Lopez is a Mayan woman from Guatemala. She has been weaving on a backstrap loom for many years, and today she teaches others around the world the art of weaving. Here she is showing huipils from San Pedro Sacatepequez, Tecpan, Tamahu, and San Martin Jilotepeque. Each village has a different style of weaving and the symbols they use can help identify their origin. They are the same symbols and patterns the Mayans have used for centuries.
Guatemalan Woman Showing Huipils
January 24, 2011 by
This is Lidia Lopez showing the many huipils she has and telling what village they came from.