Oxlajuj B'atz' ---- Thirteen Threads ---- Trece Hilos

Oxlajuj B'atz' (Thirteen Threads) is a women's educational project initiated in 2004 by two Guatemalan-based fair  trade organizations, Maya Traditions and Mayan Hands. Together with our sister organizations, Mayan Hands and Sharing the Dream, we form the Asociacion Tejedoras Unidas (United Weavers Association) in Guatemala. Our US-based fiscal sponsor is the Maya Educational Foundation.

What does the name, Oxlajuj B'atz', stand for?

Oxlajuj means thirteen in K'achikel, and is symbolized by three dots above two horizontal bars.  The number 13 is very significant to the Mayas.  The ancient Mayan Calendar system has 13 moons (or months) and is divided into 13-year cycles.

B'atz' is the first day of the  Mayan Calender.  It is the day of the beginning of life, of mother earth, of women and all of nature.  Batz is the weaver of history. It represents the umbilical cord between Humanity and Earth. B'atz also symbolizes the life of a human being until the thread is cut.  Thus, it is the thread of life.

Together Oxlajuj B'atz' means Thirteen Threads in English, or Trece Hilos in Spanish.