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

Xeabaj (Tecpan)

This group of 14 women , located in Chimaltenango Department, has been working together for 18 years.  They produce baskets made from pine and raphia, as well as clay pottery and numerous crocheted items.

For many years the women of the group in Xeabaj embroidered t shirts, earning a small but steady income. Then the market for tshirts began to fade away, and Mayan Hands worked with the women to find new products that would sell. First they worked with the embroidery skills the women already had. Some of the women knew how to crochet, so then they tried a tight crochet, but the women said it hurt their hands too much. A looser crochet worked, and some successful products grew from that, but none lasted long. Finally the women learned to make baskets using pine needles, and that has been tremendously successful. Now the women do some embroidery, some crochet, and more baskets. An interesting part of the process was that for many months, even a couple of years, the women were making something new every month. Now the women are consistently earning three to five times more money than they were.   They are happy to be doing something new.