Trama Textiles

Founded in 1988, Trama Textiles emerged during Guatemala’s internal armed conflict as a cooperative that gave Maya women a way to maintain weaving traditions and earn income from their work. Today, it describes itself as worker-owned, with more than 150 weavers from 17 communities in the western highlands. Sales of its textiles and its learning programs connect handmade production with visitors and shoppers from other countries.

Backstrap weaving is at the center of its textile range. The store carries huipil-inspired apparel, blouses, dresses, skirts, pants, scarves, and hats, along with woven bags and small accessories. Home goods include cushion covers, table runners, blankets, and decorative pieces. The selection also includes backstrap loom kits and supplies for people interested in learning the technique, while the catalog presents designs linked to the communities and artisans who make them.

The cooperative says each weaving group receives orders based on store demand and that its pieces are handmade rather than mass-produced. Its model aims to provide fair compensation and keep Maya weaving knowledge within families and communities. The store and website share stories about individual weavers and techniques, including jaspe, or ikat, and patterns associated with different regions.

In Quetzaltenango, also known as Xela, the local shop brings visitors closer to the textiles and the cooperative's work. The website invites shoppers to meet the women who make the pieces and browse designs that may not always appear online. Its presence in the city connects direct retail with the communities and techniques described in the catalog.

Trama Textiles organizes weaving activities for visitors and students. Its published offerings include a half-day introduction to the backstrap loom, full-day intensive courses, multi-day workshops, and custom group experiences. Sessions give participants a chance to observe and practice the technique; the cooperative connects these activities with preserving textile knowledge and supporting the weavers who take part.

The organization also welcomes volunteers, interns, and researchers and operates Trama House, women’s accommodation in Xela next to its headquarters and shop. The published minimum stay is one week. The house has four rooms, a shared bathroom and kitchen, and optional weaving classes. The cooperative presents the program as a way to support its work and experience local life, rather than as a conventional short-stay hotel.

The online store extends access to apparel, home textiles, and weaving kits, while the Xela location brings visitors closer to the products and in-person activities. Together, Trama Textiles operates as a cooperative, retail space, and learning project: each channel offers a different way to encounter Maya weaving, from finished pieces to the practice and the communities behind them.