MayaWorks stoles are hand crafted using fair trade principles in Santiago Atitlán, a tiny town near beautiful Lake Atitlán. Thirty MayaWorks artisan partners craft our beaded and crocheted items as well as our clerical stoles. They are the only MayaWorks partners that speak the indigenous language of Tzutujil. The stole weavers live in a small hamlet called Panabaj. They've been perfecting their liturgical stoles on treadle foot looms since 1970 when a priest named Stanley Rother encouraged them to create this product. He wanted a sustainable form of income for these artisans who were suffering from poverty. MayaWorks has been working with Mayan weavers since 1997 providing them with a fair wage for their work. This has allowed them to support their families and has helped their community to develop. The artisans are so glad to be able to sell their products within the United States.