We ventured to the state of Campeche with Fundacion de Haciendas Taller Maya to meet 2 of the 43 Maya communities of artisans Taller Maya works with in the region. Campeche is just two hours from Merida and, as in Yucatan and all of Southern Mexico, there is a rich heritage and history of culture, art, and ancestral Maya craftsmanship.
In the communities of Laureles and Queztales, a community of Mam Maya Guatemalan refugees have settled and lived for nearly 30 years. Their story, craftsmanship, and professionalism are strikingly inspiring and a staunch example of human resilience. It was an honor to meet the master weavers of the villages.
The women from the village are waist loom weavers who work with naturally dyed cotton string to weave delicate yet bold textiles including, clothing, wall decorations, table runners, pillow covers, bedspreads, and more. The loom is attached at two ends, one of them being the weaver‘s waist, and consists of weaving threads through a weft and warp. It’s a process that can take up to 15 days or more to finish one piece.
In August, Taller Maya launched their Polinizadores (Pollinators) newest collection in Campeche and it will soon be launched in all stores. Inspired by renowned artist Javier Marin’s art of various pollinators, Taller Maya presents this line with the idea of pollinators as connectors or bridges in a community or ecosystem, people who bring ideas, energy, or resources from one place to another, facilitating growth and creativity. Its simplicity, elegance, and craftsmanship are worth adding to the decor of your home or as a signature piece in your wardrobe.
To see the collection go here: https://www.tallermaya.org/resultados?search=polinizadores
History of the Guatemalan Refugees in Campeche
The massacre of the Maya people in the 1980s during the counter-insurgency war in Guatemala is what forced the Guatemalan refugees and their families to settle in Laureles and Quezal communities in Campeche. The brutal and bloody period of this war occurred in the early 1980s, under the rule of General Efraín Ríos Montt, who led a military government from 1982 to 1983. During this time the Guatemalan military carried out a scorched-earth campaign aimed at suppressing guerrilla insurgents, who were often operating in rural areas inhabited by indigenous Maya communities. The government’s counterinsurgency strategy, however, went far beyond targeting combatants. It resulted in the widespread massacre of innocent civilians, particularly among the Maya population.
The master artisans who we visited recounted a bit of their experience fleeing the horrors of their country. The trauma is still fresh and many refuse to go back home and the ones that do visit family members who survived that time, don’t stay long because of the lasting terror they feel. Mexico gave 70,000 Maya Guatemalan refugees status in Mexico and land in the territories of Campeche. But many of them had been in hiding for over a year before crossing the border, going days without eating and putting rags in their baby’s mouths so they would not cry and draw the attention of the military. Their resilience is truly inspiring.
About Taller Maya
They are a collective brand of Mexican design, formed by social artisanal companies from the Yucatan Peninsula and a creative team that works to preserve the living Maya culture. They work with different artisan communities to strengthen value chains and generate sustainable sources of income for them, through the creation and fair trade of artisanal pieces. Taller Maya was born in 2002 as a response to an initiative to recover techniques specific to the Maya culture and training and self-management programs led by the Haciendas del Mundo Maya Foundation. Today they collaborate with 42 artisan workshops in 32 communities in the Yucatan Peninsula. Each of their pieces represents the dialogue between the wisdom of the Maya culture and contemporary design.
Taller Maya’s commitment to ethical and sustainable practices is underscored by its certification as a B Corporation and its recognition by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). These certifications guarantee that the network of over XX artisans in the Yucatán Peninsula adheres to the highest standards of fair trade and sustainability.
