Cooperativa de Tejedoras Ixbalamké – Ixbalamké Weaving Cooperative

Project:

Los Hilos Hablan – The Weavings Speak

Region: Samac, Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala  
Grant Awarded: 2022

A multigenerational group of 68 Q'eq'chi' Maya women from the village of Samac, Cobán, Guatemala. The purpose of this cooperative is to revitalize and strengthen the ancestral Mayan weavings to provide a dignified life for the community and encourage future generations to be guardians of their cultural wealth. The members of Ixbalamké stand out in this region for using the ancestral technique of Pik'bil with unparalleled mastery. The main objective of this project is to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of the Cooperative, invest in infrastructure to continue the elaboration of textiles, the documentation of knowledge of elders and ancestral histories related to weaving, and the transfer of traditional knowledge to the next generation.