The women of Manos de Fe explain how they believe what they weave absorbs their very emotions at that time. The women who make up the Consejo de Tejedoras de Santo Domingo Xenacoj | © Nikki Vargas/Unearth Women On the day of her marriage, her mother-in-law will judge her daughter-in-law on both the quality of her weaving and tortilla making skills. It is this cultural tradition that groups like Manos de Fe and the Consejo de Tejedoras de Santo Domingo Xenacoj hope to preserve and protect. From the moment a Mayan woman is engaged, she will embark on a year-long project to create a tzute-a shawl, of sorts-to gift her future mother-in-law. Today, the age of matrimony has been officially pushed up to the more appropriate age of 18. Up until two years ago, the average age for a young girl in Guatemala to get married was 14. Textiles play an integral role in daily life as well as a traditional Mayan wedding ceremony. Mayan weaving spans centuries worth of traditions in Guatemala with women at the center of it. The council in the community of Santo Domingo Xenacoj offers a school called Ixkojajkem, which provides a year’s worth of weaving lessons to young girls at no cost. The Consejo de Tejedoras de Santo Domingo Xenacoj consists of 10 women who are keen to both preserve their tradition as well as pass along the art of weaving to younger Mayan generations. In another nearby community-an hour’s drive from Antigua-a local council of women are also working to uphold the tradition of Mayan weaving. Already, Karen is eager to learn to carry on the tradition of her ancestors, knowing how weaving plays an integral role in her society and her future wedding. She recently joined Manos de Fe and is currently balancing early education with the art of Mayan weaving. Karen is shy, clinging closely to her mother as she introduces herself to us. She, like all the other women standing before me, is dressed in a rainbow palette of handwoven fabrics. Karen is eight years old, her silky black hair pulled back into a french braid resting in between her shoulder blades. Manos de Fe consists of 23 women, the youngest of whom is Karen. The women of the Consejo de Tejedoras de Santo Domingo Xenacoj show the author how to weave using a loom | © Nikki Vargas/Unearth Women
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