MAYAN FIBERS AND CULTURE Highland Mayan Weaving Villages and the Jungle Lowland City of Palenque

Mayan Textiles and Culture Journey Details
Where	Highland weaving villages and lowland jungle Mayan ruins in the state of Chiapas in the south of Mexico
When	February 17-26, 2007
Duration	Ten days
Size	Five to 12 participants
Cost	TBA

here are few places left in the world where the clothes people wear are the clothes they weave. The Mayan highlands of Chiapas, Mexico are one of these rare places. Their weaving is gorgeous, without question some of the most exquisite traditional weaving in the Americas. These Mayan weavers are the descendants of the great Mayan civilizations that ruled the Chaipan highlands and southern jungles 1,500 years ago. The great cities and temples of Palenque, Chichen Itza and Tikal lie in ruins, but Mayan civilization lives on in cool mountain villages. Our ten day trip will focus on these highland weaving villages, and with Mayan textile expert Chip Morris as our guest guide in the highlands, doors will open to us that normally are closed to outsiders among these reserved people. Ours is an unparalleled opportunity to learn about Mayan weaving and meet the people who do it.

Much of the Maya's ancient vision of the cosmos and their place in the world is told through symbols in their weaving work. The knowledge of the meanings in their symbols was nearly lost when Chip Morris first arrived in Chiapas in 1972. Through years of study funded by grants from the MacArthur Foundation, the National Geographic Society, and the Smithsonian, to name a few, Chip did ground-breaking work in rediscovering the meanings of the weaving iconography. He also mastered the Tzotzil language, spoken by many of the highland Maya and has done important work in promoting highland weaving and cultural preservation. The author of Living Maya, a beautiful book about Mayan weaving, we are very fortunate to have Chip Morris along as a guest guide for our days among the highland Maya.

Woman of Zinacantan

In addition to learning about backstrap weaving, dyeing, brocade work and symbolism in the highlands, we will visit the great Mayan city of Palenque in the verdant jungle lowlands. With an expert on Palenque glyphs and Mayan cosmology, we will explore these ruins and learn the ancestors of the highland weavers and this mysterious civilization that flourished so long ago. We'll explore other ruins as well and swim in some of the most beautiful jungle swimming holes in the world. We'll also have ample time to explore the charms of colonial San Cristobal de Las Casas with its shops, bakeries, churches and lovely streets. Chip will take us to the best shops in town for textiles and invite us over for hors d’oeuvres at his San Cristobal home.

ITINERARY
(B=Breakfast included, L=lunch, D=Dinner)

Day 1, Monday (D)
Our trip starts in the city of Villahermosa, Tabasco. Today we arrive from our various necks of the woods and meet at the hotel to get to know each other and have dinner. There are many flights to Villahermosa from Mexico City, as well as some connections through Houston and San Antonio. Evening in Villahermosa.

Palenque

Day 2, Tuesday (B,L,D)

After breakfast we will visit the La Venta Museum and Park, which showcases several spectacular Olmec stone heads (one of which weighs over 24 tons) and pre-Hispanic stone sculptures. The park is also filled with examples of tropical flora from the region and there is a zoo with jungle animals such as macaws, lynxes, jaguars and boa constrictors. After a leisurely visit to the park and museum we will head for Chiapas and the town and ruins of Palenque. We will arrive here in the afternoon and those who have energy are invited to enjoy an initial exploration of the majestic ruins of Palenque, which are just 400 yards up the road from our hotel. Evening in Palenque.

Olmec Head in Villahermosa

Day 3, Wednesday (B,L,D).

Alonso Mendez will join us this morning for a guided tour of the ruins of Palenque. Alonso has studied the ruins of Palenque for years, focusing special attention on the way the buildings relate to the stars and their movements, which were an integral part of Mayan science and religion. In the afternoon we will pack our bags and head further into the jungle and the splendid falls of Mizolja and the cabins nearby. Here, just beyond the mists of the falls we will spend the night, surrounded by the sounds of the forest. Evening in Mizolja.

Hanging bridge

Day 4, Thursday (B,L)

Today we make for the pine-clad highlands, but not without first taking in some of the most gorgeous jungle swimming holes imaginable. We will stop at Agua Clara where a wide, silent, turquoise blue river slides beneath the jungle canopy and is crossed by a rickety, hanging footbridge. After cooling ourselves here we will travel on to Agua Azul, perhaps the most famous swimming hole in Mexico, where the mineralized, gem-blue water has formed step-like waterfall after waterfall, beneath which are inviting swimming holes surrounded by cool, green jungle vegetation. Being thoroughly cooled and rinsed we will travel on to the Mayan highlands and the colonial town of San Cristobal de Las Casas. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Window in San Cristobal

Day 5, Friday (B,L,D)
Chip Morris will join us this morning as our exceptional guest guide for our visits to the highland weaving communities around San Cristobal. Our first visit will be to the Tzotzil Maya village of Zinacantan and then to the village of Chamula. We will meet with exceptional weavers, visit the Zinacantan community museum and have an opportunity to purchase some of the weavings we’ll be seeing. In the afternoon we visit the Sna Jolobil weaving cooperative and store. Representing 800 weavers from 20 communities, Sna Jolobil is a mouthwatering mother load of superb quality highland Mayan weavings. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Village of Aguacatenango

Day 6, Saturday (B,L,D)

We head out this morning for a field trip that takes us to the village of Aguacatenango to see white on white embroidery work and the nearby village of Amatenango where just about every woman in town is a potter to see a pottery demonstration. Afterwards we return to San Cristobal for and have several hours free to explore the city. In the afternoon we will meet up with Chip again and he will interpret some of the different meanings woven into the symbols of the Mayan blouses. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Day 7, Sunday (B, L)
This morning we meet up with Chip again for a shopping tour of San Cristobal. He will take us to a fine selection of shops and market stalls that are known for their wonderful textiles and other goodies. The rest of the day is open for more wandering, journaling or just putting your feet up and soaking this enchanting place in. In the evening we gather again for a visit to Na Bolom, which was the home of the renowned Swiss and Danish anthropologist/archeologist team of Trudy and Franz Blom. Chip will show us around this wonderful, musty museum rich in books, photos and the sense of another era and we will have dinner at the Na Bolom long table. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Agua Azul

Day 8, Monday (B, L)

Today we will visit the village of Tenejapa with Chip to see dyeing and weaving. We meet with Maria Meza Giron, an exemplary weaver and one of the co-founders, along with her son Pedro and Chip, of the Sna Jolobil weavers cooperative. (See Maria’s work in Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art, pg 411). We will be having lunch at Maria’s house in Tenejapa. In the afternoon we return to San Cristobal and there will be free time for exploring the town or relaxing. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Magdalenas Woman

Day 9, Tuesday (B,L,D)

This morning Chip will take us to San Andres, famous for its spectacular wool brocade. And today is market day, which is an exotic treat. We will wade into the midst of this ancient Sunday custom and enjoy. Further along, in the village of Magdalena we meet a Mayan gentleman who makes the fine shoulder bags used in this region out of twined agave fiber and visit with other weavers. In the evening we will dust off and find a classy place to eat our final dinner together. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.

Day 10, Wednesday (B)

After breakfast it is time to pack our bags and move on, back to our own neck of woods. Those traveling home today will want to transfer to Tuxtla Gutierrez, about 1.5 hours, where flights can be booked to Mexico City.

SUGGESTED READING

Morris, Walter (Chip), Living Maya, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New York, 1986.
Fomento Cultural Banamex, The Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art, Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C., Mexico City, 1998.
de Orellana, Margarita, ed. Artes de Mexico, 'Textiles de Chiapas', No. 19, Mexico City, Spring 1993. English translation at back of volume.
Noble, John, et al., Lonely Planet Guide, Mexico, Lonely Planet Publications, Australia, get most recent edition.

Mayan faces

Mayan glyphs

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