About three years ago MayaWorks Coordinator, Pat Krause, met with a group of women from Agua Caliente to discuss the possibility of creating a weaving co-op. This rural village had been chosen because they had a previous affiliation with the Behrhorst Foundation, which meant that there was an existing level of trust. Pat and the women brainstormed for product ideas. While the discussion was going on, the men walked around the circle of discussion appearing uneasy with what was happening. Pat brought along a wall hanging as a sample of a potential product. The women involved in the meeting moved into a private area with the sample and talked for about 45 minutes. When they returned, they announced that they could make the wall hangings and sell them for 12Q; the sample was purchased in Antigua for 8Q. An order was placed for 8 women to each make a dozen wall hangings. When the day arrived to pick up the order, there was a terrible rain. The roads were dangerous. Pat knew that the women were expecting to deliver their products--their first order. This was to be a significant day. Some workers from the Behrhorst Center volunteered to drive up the muddy road to Agua Caliente. When Pat arrived, out came the women tenderly carrying their work on their heads, in baskets or wrapped in plastic. The words Paz, Peace, Shalom were to appear on the wall hangings. No one knew what to expect. They were perfect, the colors were brilliant, the size was accurate and the wooden rods used were from the trees right there in the village. Each woman then brought out every one for approval. Ninety-six were unveiled and admired. The artisans were paid on that day for their first order. This meant that there would be money in women's hands. Their work was accepted, admired and purchased. Since this interaction occurred early in the MayaWorks-Agua Caliente relationship, the children were still afraid of Pat; yet since the mothers were comfortable, the children warmed up. A little girl walked up to Pat and, in her Indian dialect, said thank you for giving our mothers work. This was so much more than simply a goods for cash exchange. This was to change everyone=s lives. The next time MayaWorks came to the village, there was a silo, on the following visit there was light and now there is a tienda with a refrigerator. Soon after the first order was produced, a discussion about literacy ensued. Because the women travel to Chimaltenango to buy their thread, they were concerned that they could not communicate well with the vendors and that they could not read the signs on the buses. There were also communication barriers with their children's teachers and doctors because the women did not speak Spanish. This was the beginning of the literacy program. We went to the village to meet the literacy women. We did not know who they were yet or anything about their story. They met us in a receiving line, each woman greeting us in Spanish. I sensed their pride as they displayed their Spanish ability. They smiled at us, making eye contact and greeting us with the traditional Guatemalan handshake. They asked our names. We found ourselves in a small room that was decorated with balloons and streamers. After introductions, Don Pio, the teacher welcomed us. To our surprise, the women played games not only for our entertainment, but also in celebration of their accomplishment Only a year or so ago these women had a terribly difficult time making eye contact and could barely speak to the MayaWorks tour group. Today, seven women came forward, several with children on their backs, to receive their diplomas to the fourth level of the Spanish language curricula. I got, at most, a snapshot into the lives of the women in Agua Caliente. I saw that they not only prepare the corn, make the tortillas, wash their clothes, care for their children and homes, weave for their personal use, but also meet to work on their MayaWorks products and have made literacy and education a priority for themselves and their children as well. They even have time to laugh. This group now has more capacity for sustainability because they can communicate in Spanish and therefore communicate at the market and with other prospective buyers. Taken from: International Partnership: An Interweaving of Gender, Development and Identity Michelle M. Gardner-Morkert May 2000

The women of Agua Caliente still make the wall hangings that began their journey. They sell for $8/each.

The colorful MayaWorks Holiday Star Runners are also woven in Agua Caliente. The runners come in red and green. They sell for $45 each and are 60" in length.

For more information or to order any of the Agua Caliente products, please Email MayaWorks at info@mayaworks.org.