GUATEMALA

Women’s Weaving Cooperative | Suan Juan La Laguna, Lake Atitlan

San Juan La Laguna is an enclave for feminism where women are leading the charge.

This women’s weaving cooperative on the shores of Lake Atitlan is all about empowering women and giving them the ability to support their children. By selling and commercialising their natural weaving products, they are able to ensure a better future for their children so they can afford to finish their studies, and continue onto college. The cooperative fosters education through scholarships and financial aid and offers it’s weavers a sustainable income for their families.

The women of this cooperative dedicate themselves to preserving the skill of spinning natural cotton thread. They work with 100 percent natural dyes and locally sourced, handpicked organic cotton.

These women are providing for their children from the quality and beauty of their handwoven work alone. Every purchase of a product helps sustain their craft and provide education for their children. Whenever we visit them, they encourage us to learn about the tradition spun into the very fabric of their items, and how the colors carry the very essence of Guatemala in its threads. Above all, they remind us how far our purchases can go to change a community, to support women, and to usher in a progressive future.