Maya Traditions - Maya Traditions - Weaving Culture with Opportunity

Maya Traditions ~ Weaving Culture with Opportunity

OUR MISSION: to empower and improve the quality of life for Maya women artisans and their families through education-driven social programs and market access to International Fair Trade and artisanal networks with a focus on traditional Maya culture and traditions, preserving the cultural art of backstrap weaving in Guatemala.

OUR HISTORY: The Maya Traditions Foundation (known locally as Fundación Tradiciones Mayas) was born in 1998, as a personal initiative of social worker and weaver Jane Mintz, to provide much needed assistance to the Maya people in the region surrounding Lake Atitlan in Guatemala during the civil war. Initially, support was provided though the setting up of fair trade retail and wholesale markets, however, Jane´s support has vastly expanded over time to include education, community health and artistry development programs and in 2008, Maya Traditions became a Foundation and legal Guatemalan non-profit.

Today the Foundation works with six community weaving groups, has provided more then 2,200 scholarships, holds regular artisan workshops and is involved in community health projects that preserve and integrate traditional Maya medicines and spirituality with modern medicine.

How can you get involved?
1) Donate to support Maya women in Fair Trade and to send their kids to school, or to support our Traditional Health Initiative.
2) Sign-up for our E-Letter (Newsletter) to receive updates about our Fair Trade products and about our social services in Guatemala.
3) Read our blog to get to know the Maya women, learn how we plan to preserve the cultural art of backstrap weaving, and hear about the events that we host for the scholarship students in Guatemala.
4) Spread the word about Maya Traditions on social media outlets. Networking and building connections is key to the future growth of our Foundation, as well as to our mission of advocating for Fair Trade.
5) Take a class on backstrap weaving, or volunteer within our office or different program activities!