The old adage is so true: a picture really is worth a thousand words. Javier Cárcamo, communications coordinator for our Rural Guatemala agency, worked his magic with the camera to help us meet Hilda Leticia and her mother.
Hilda Leticia is a sponsored child from the Mayan culture that is prevalent in Guatemala. Notice the intricate designs of the clothing she and her mom are wearing. These are typical, handmade Mayan garments that are very much a part of their culture and identity.
Hilda had this to say: "The thing that makes me feel most thankful to the [Children International sponsorship] program is that they help my mother and me; they help us to be in good health and to get a lot of things such as gifts, kitchen tools and clothing…
"They also help me to go to school; and when I come back from school I have the opportunity to help my mother to sell corn, beans and guisquil (a thorny, starchy, potato-like vegetable)."
2 comments:
Very pretty clothes! How much time does it take to make clothes that are so detailed? Do the colors or the design or both identify the region or community they are from? Can natives, at a glance at the clothes identify where others are from? Would the clothing colors & designs be comparable to what sports fans in the U.S. would use to identify team loyalties?
Because they are hand-woven, these garments can take weeks or even months to make. Based on my research, each village has its own distinctive design, and some even claim that you can read a family's history from the guipil (blouse) and corte (skirt) of the wearer. In some cases, the garments even make a statement about their owners' social status.
Much of this is consistent with what I know to be the case about the indigenous people I grew up around in Perú, where people are fiercely proud of their regional garb and can be quite offended if an outsider wears it.
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