Indigenous Weavers in Guatemala Mobilize to Defend Their Craft and Cultural Rights

 

Indigenous weavers in Guatemala are challenging the appropriation of their identities by both national and transnational companies. On November 24, hundreds of indigenous weavers from across the country made the journey to Guatemala City to present congress with a series of reforms that would lead to the legal protection of their intellectual property rights as weavers.

Trump Alebrije Leads Mexico’s Traditional Paper Mache Monster March: A Photo Essay

Fantastical, boldly-colored creatures wove their way from Mexico City's Zocalo and through the city on Saturday. With neoliberalism's stronghold on Mexico, combined with 60 percent of workers forced to sell goods informally in the streets and on trains, consumerism in the country can be overwhelming. But cultural traditions like the production of these giant paper mache alebrijes help to combat consumerism's dominance and bring communities together.