 |  | Backstrap weaving, an ancient Mayan method of weaving defined by a woven strap used to leverage the weaver’s own body weight against the work. (The weaver leans in to slacken or leans back to create tension.) It is a practice generally reserved for Mayan women, the primary producers of the gorgeously colored and patterned huipiles and myriad textiles that challenge the starkness of impoverished Guatemala.
When the Spanish colonialists arrived in this part of Central America, they introduced the treadle loom, which was taken up by Mayan men and now produces many of the country’s fabrics. To the undiscerning tourist, the treadle loom products may yet seem a mano (handmade), but the finest quality goods require days and even months of labor on the backstrap loom used by Mayan women.
Adding to that has been the use of crocheting and knitting along with the expansion of the age old art of beadwork.
Producing textiles for a Mayan woman and her family is a way of life, an inextricable aspect of their culture and daily work. The woman of the house learned it from her mother, who learned it from hers before her, and now she is passing the skill down to her own daughters. | | | |
|  | | Art Naïf has emerged in the past century as one of contemporary art's most important movements. Uninfluenced by art traditions, naïf artists are self-taught and stylistically independent. Their work carries an original message and represents scenes of everyday life, memories, dreams and fantasies with a love of colors and shapes. Their world view cannot be acquired and makes for highly individualistic art. Contemporary Mayan painting is part of the transformation of the indigenous people of Guatemala. This art form portrays scenes, both actual and disappeared,which as time goes by will become historical documents. As time goes by and the modern world intrudes ever more so on this unique and ancient culture these paintings will increase in value, both monetarily and culturally. It depicts ceremonial rites and daily customs although, faithful to the naif tradition, scenes are strictly descriptive. Within its genre, this Guatemalan art form is outstanding in precision, color and virtuosity. These characteristics lend a unique quality to scenes of highland landscapes and enhance the cultural wealth of Guatemala's indigenous people. As for it's future, it is within a process of ongoing change as individual artists mature and experiment. | | | |
|  | | Today in Guatemala, many distinct indigenous Mayan groups use masks in the performance of dances and pageants. The exact meanings of these ceremonies may be long forgotten, but they typically enact a mythical story intended to bring fertility, yield a good harvest or scare away evil spirits. All traditional fiestas include folk dancing whose forms date back hundreds of years to the conquest and beyond. Some of these dances are rooted in traditions brought from Spain - these are usually the religious celebrations. Then there are the dances rooted in Mayan tradition where animal masks are often used in dances like "Toritos" (the Little Bulls), or "El Venado" (the Deer). | | | |
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