A village comes alive with color at fiesta time. Woven by hand, these cheerful placemats use double threads, giving them shape and body. Lemon yellow, red, mustard, brown and grape find a complement in tangerine napkins. The set for four is handmade by the Yama Aj Chixot Artisan Group.

Product Features:

• Placemats: 20" L x 13" W
• Napkins: 12" L x 12" W
• Weight: 1.1 lbs
• Colors: Orange, Red, Multi Color
• Napkin pattern: Stripes
• Care instructions: Machine wash separately in cold water, dry on low heat cycle
• Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
• Set includes: Four placemats, four napkins
• Machine wash separately in cold water
• Material: 100% cotton
• Dry on low heat cycle
• Made in Guatemala

Story Behind the Art:

My hope is that we can live in a better world where women are always respected and loved (...) because one day she may stop producing, but she'll never cease to be what she is, a Woman. Yama Aj Chixot Artisan Group was started by women from San Juan Comalapa in the year 2000. In the Maya Kaqchiquel language, Aj Chixot means from Comalapa, but Chi Xot also means comal a smooth griddle we use to make tortillas, and it makes reference to the shape of their village: round with a drop in the center. The Yama part of our name is actually 'Maya' spelt backwards, and we did it to stand out from most groups featuring Maya in their name, says Mirian Otzin, who heads the group. I grew up in Comalapa, just like most of the women in the group. It is a village of humble means where families are large, on average seven members per family. Women start teaching their daughters how to weave when they are 10 years old. As we grow up and have daughters ourselves, we teach them too so the tradition never ends. This is also we ensure that the weaving techniques of Comalapa are preserved. When I realized that people did indeed like what I wove, I ventured out looking for a place to sell my creations. That’s when I changed from using the back strap loom to the pedal loom to save on costs. It was a challenge for me to make this switch because the pedal loom is usually only used by men, and women are expected to use only the back strap loom. As a women's group we have received different training courses in order to improve our quality so that our products are valued as more than a piece of cloth. We have purchased sewing machines so we can offer a better finish for our bags, purses, and other items.

My dream is to be able to help other women, be able to guide them and tell them that life is always filled with ups and downs. But that no matter how complicated problems can be, there is always a tomorrow to fix them. My hope is that we can live in a better world where women are always respected and loved, not because of what she produces, but for what she is, because one day she may stop producing, but she'll never cease to be what she is, a Woman. I remember the first time I went to a building in Guatemala City – it was the first time I had used an elevator and when it started to move I screamed so loud! All the people in the elevator looked at me and started to laugh, which made me feel so embarrassed but the only thing I could do at that moment was to laugh too. To me, in order to become successful, it is very important to be able to help one another.

Please allow 10 business days for the product to leave our warehouse and to receive tracking information. You should expect to receive this item within 15 business days.