Salcajá is my home. My family has been living here for hundreds of years, and I grew up in a family of weavers. As a child, I would help my grandmother untie the knots that that create the designs in jaspe textiles, which are used in making cortes and other traditional clothes of the Maya people of Guatemala (for more information, see Cloth Road's Jaspe: A Guatemalan Resist-Dyed Handwoven Cloth.​

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For two decades, I have taught Spanish to English-speakers in local schools, where I have met many people from all over the world. Now I want to honor my family history, and help you learn about Salcajá and life in the Guatemalan Highlands. Join me on a journey to Salcajá - mi tierra, mi pueblo, mi gente.

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I am partnering with Maya Traditions Foundation to provide my tours.  Maya Traditions Foundation works to empower and improve the quality of life for Maya women artisans and their families and to contribute to the preservation and promotion of traditional knowledge, art, and cultures in Guatemala.

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Since the 1980s, many people in Salcajá have traveled to the United States to find high-paying jobs and send a large part of their wages to relatives in Guatemala. This is a difficult option and, while helping to meet needs, also leads to the disintegration of the traditional family structure.

 

I hope that by increasing tourism to Salcajá, many people in my pueblo will benefit, and we can keep our families together.  Your participation in my tours is a small step toward that goal.

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Thank you!

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Rosario

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