Tesoros del Corazón is a weaving cooperative under Xela-Aid. After having lived and worked with various weavers in the Lake Atitlán region, I accompanied a friend, also the Xela-Aid coordinator of the cooperative and administered a workshop on market trends. We explored different styles, materials, patterns, colors, etc. In the end, we spent much of our energy on pairing colors and ways to tailor the bright Guatemalan colors for western markets. Culturally, we also discussed the uses of traditional woven materials in Guatemala, and their place in Western cultures. For example, the napkin used to wrap tortillas is rather useless in the United States based on the "typical American diet".
The entire experience was an eye-opener for me in relation to the cooperative model. They were located in a place with little market access and not frequented by tourists. Being in Lake Atitlán, we are blessed to be frequented by tourists allowing for cooperatives to flourish. As a potential solution, some weavers in my region were willing to work with these women dividing up the tasks of the process to benefit all. However, it can still be challenging to get people to work with others from different towns for fear of stealing or copying their tradition.
The image is an informational postcard that I designed to be used as publicity.
