| Las Trampas Hammock Artisans of Guatemala | The armed conflict in Guatemala lasted 36 long years and destroyed many innocent families. It left women widowed, children orphaned and so much sadness, especially in the highlands of the country. It was devastating for communities, and many women wound up alone.
"We had to take economic responsibility for our households. In our towns, girls learn to weave at 6 years old. After the war, the one thing we could do was use our inherited textile skills, passed down from our mothers and grandmothers. | |  | | | When the need to feed and educate our children arose, we began to organize ourselves so we could sell our goods as a group and help each other get ahead.
We started working in a town called Chichicastenango, a famous center of crafts which also has a large market. As our group grew, younger women started to join, bringing new ideas and an entrepreneurial spirit. We soon organized ourselves into an official association with a board of directors, and began to coordinate with groups from other towns outside of Chichicastenango to expand our reach.
As the group grew, we called ourselves 'Las Trampas'. We don’t have funding or a lot of orders, because no one knows us yet. But we are hopeful that our hard work will change this, so we can improve the quality of life in our community." | | | | | | | Shop their collection → | | | | | | | | |
