I was lucky enough to visit Guatemala in 1976. I was into fiber arts then and this was a weaving trip. I learned how to do backstrap weaving from the young Mayan Indians who were our teachers. I still have the little bit of weaving I did. These photographs show one of our young instructors showing us how to prepare the warp and then demonstrating their style of weaving. They didn't speak any English and my Spanish wasn't adequate for their particular Mayan dialect -- but I knew I was making a mistake when they gently touched my hand and shook their heads "No", then demonstrated how to do the weaving correctly. Their patterns are the most complicated in the world
It was an unforgettable experience. I liked interacting with the locals, learning about their lifestyle, eating the great food. The most memorable meal was a blue-corn hand-made tortilla smeared with a fresh avocado, served up with a warm Coke! We were walking by this small house (with a dirt floor) with a small fire ring in the middle of the room -- the woman was making the tortillas and offered them to us. When we smiled & accepted, she brought out the avocado, warm Coke with a big smile. How could we refuse that?
My slides were never stored properly, and I thought I had lost them all -- so I am delighted that so many of them were able to be saved. Thanks to ScanCafe for doing such a great job.
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