Weaving Solidarity

Jolom Mayatiek

Jolom Mayaetik (Mayan Women Weavers) is an independent, autonomous, and women-run cooperative founded in 1996 by Tzotzil and Tseltal indigenous artisan women from highland Chiapas, Mexico. Composed of more than 300 indigenous women, Jolom Mayaetik members produce different traditional designs from the region while they search for better and fair prices for their products. They also participate in social, political and economic spaces because they believe that the commercialization of their products will not resolve the multiple problems they confront each day such as poverty, marginalization and racism.

Jolom Mayaetik was formed in 1996 when three women who had been participating in another weaving cooperative decided to create a new organization in which the women members themselves would occupy all positions of leadership and make all decisions. Today Jolom Mayaetik has 180 members from throughout the state of Chiapas. They work closely with their sister organization, K’inal Antzetik, which is made up of two of the former presidents of Jolom Mayaetik and a few non-indigenous women. K’inal provides support in the areas of education and accompaniment.

Aside from marketing weaving, Jolom Mayaetik currently runs a medical clinic with a midwife, provides education on health, nutrition, women’s reproductive and sexual health, and natural remedy use. They have a young women’s leadership development program where young women from remote communities come to live in residence at the Capacity Building Centre, develop skills and access formal education. The Centre recently initiated a women’s rights and anti-domestic violence education project a literacy program, and a project to recuperate traditional symbols – something that has never been done by indigenous women weavers for themselves.

The cooperative offers women opportunities to develop leadership capacity, gain financial literacy, learn computer skills, and learn Spanish (women generally speak only their indigenous language). It also offers the chance for indigenous communities who experience ongoing threats to land and culture to maintain a stronghold on their traditional territories as they generate an income doing activities that enhance their relationship to their history and culture.

Jolom Maya’etik and K’inal Antzetik have their central offices in the Capacity Building Centre in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas. It has accommodation for up to fifty people and features bathrooms with showers and a kitchen. Students, interns, and other volunteers come to stay for varying periods of time from around the world (Germany, Spain, Canada, USA, Mexico, etc.).

la mano

la mano is a social enterprise established to work in collaboration with Jolom Maya’etik in order to develop markets for fair trade products. As part of their educational and outreach work, the founder has organized a number of Canadian speaking tours with representatives from Jolom Maya’etik in collaboration with universities and colleges, as well as local community organizations and businesses. The la mano Facebook page is here.