Santiago Atitlán
Sololá, Guatemala
Santiago Atitlán is the largest town on Lake Atitlán, and is the main center of the Tz'utujil-speaking Maya. Both back strap weaving and embroidery are practiced by indigenous women here.
Agricultural plots stretch to the edge of Santiago Atitlán, where wooden boats ply the reeds. Photo by Denise Gallinetti 2005.
Antonia Quevac, 10, proudly weaves for the Cojolya Association in Santiago Atitlán when she is not in school. The association has a museum and sales area, and exports to the U.S. and abroad. Antonio Ramirez, a guide for the group, stands to the left, wearing the traditional traje of indigenous men from the area. Photo by Paul G. Vitale 2005.
The Cojolya Association in Santiago Atitlán houses a small museum and a sales area of products designed by American Candis Krummel and woven on backstrap looms by local indigenous women. Photo by Kathleen Mossman Vitale 2005.
María Castellana, the wife of the Maya saint Maximón, is dressed in finely woven textiles and an embroidered belt, and displayed in a private home setting. Photo by Denise Gallinetti 2005.
Birds are a favorite subject of embroiderers in Santiago Atitlán. Embroidered birds decorate women's blouses and men's pants, as well as panels sold to tourists. Photo by Denise Gallinetti 2005.
Locations in Sololá:
- El Adelanto
- Nahualá
- Panajachel
- San Antonio Palopó
- San Lucas Tolimán
- San Marcos La Laguna
- San Pablo La Laguna
- San Pedro La Laguna
- Santa Catarina Palopó
- Santiago Atitlán
- Sololá