https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 09 May 2026 19:17:58 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-80440 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:36:25 +0000 Ariadne 80440@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Haha, Tam, I'm SO not a midwife. I'm the only one on the team without medical or midwifery training. I do organization, cooking, errands, that sort of thing. It's the Safe Motherhood Project, part of Poco a Poco safemotherhooodproject.org </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-79774 Sat, 18 Jul 2009 07:18:01 +0000 yublocka 79774@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Stunning clothing Brianna, and amazing to read about it all. I haven't been to Guatemala, but have been to South America a few times and LOVE it there. I didn't realise you were a midwife - another hidden talent!!! Who do you do your volunteering through??? It sounds like a wonderful program! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-79141 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:22:45 +0000 Vani 79141@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Brianna, how beautiful what you are doing in Guatemala. Thank you so much for the insight into this beautiful country and strong women of this culture. You look beautiful in the traje. I love the intense colours and intricate detailing of the trajes in pictures on the sites you've linked to. Thank you! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-79120 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:49:27 +0000 medusa 79120@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Wow! That is incredibly beautiful. Thanks for the photos and the info. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-79063 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:50:15 +0000 Christie 79063@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So pretty! I love your description of the Guatemalan style. What important work you've been doing! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-79044 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:02:43 +0000 Ariadne 79044@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Thanks, ladies! Despite all its troubles, Guatemala is a stunning, welcoming country, and Mayan culture(s) in particular is humbling, fascinating and inspirting. When I spend time there it's truly a gift to me--I learn and take away so much more than I can even hope to give back. Can't wait to return. If you ever get a chance to visit, GO!</p> <p>Interesting sidenote: Mike's and my tenth anniversary is on December 21, 2012, which is the exact date of "the end of the world" (if you want to be melodramatic--or the resetting of the calendar to the beginning of the cycle at Baktun 13.0.0.0.0 if you want to be more scholarly) according to the Mayan calendar.<br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_doomsday_prediction" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2.....prediction</a></p> <p>It's kind of fun and interesting to realize that, so we're tentatively planning a trip to Tikal to celebrate our 10th </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-79040 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:48:33 +0000 Angie 79040@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What a wonderful write-up, Brianna! The pictures are fabulous. The links too. You look adorable. So sweet! I had forgotten that you were blonde at one stage :0)</p> <p>Thank you for sharing with us. We had good friends there who were eager for us to visit. I guess we missed that boat. But I got to enjoy Guatemala through you and that’s just as good! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-78931 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:35:57 +0000 Anonymous 78931@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Brianna, Thankyou for sharing this story and the colorful pictures. This has been a wonderful thing to read as I have my coffee this morning.<br /> The traje are so colorful and the women and girls are beautiful. You are amazing to volunteer to help these people. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-78930 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:00:00 +0000 Anonymous 78930@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Brianna, you look wonderful! I support a widow who is my age in Guatemala through Christian Foundation For Children and Aging, an organization I highly recommend. I hope someday to go to Guatemala and meet Maria who lives in a house of corn canes with dirt floor. I don't know if Aldea Cerro do Oro is in the highlands. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-78920 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:49:44 +0000 hanna 78920@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>brianna, the point of the global challenge was just to learn about style and culture in other cities -- which makes this spot on! you look gorgeous in your traje, and i admire you so much for giving so much time to a cause you believe in. i spent so much time volunteering in college that i truly miss it and regret not making more time for it now. you've inspired me to see what i can do about getting back into it! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-78913 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:50:01 +0000 rute 78913@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Lovely! You look adorable!</p> <p>Thank you for sharing! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/global-challenge-mayan-traje-from-guatemala#post-78909 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 07:34:25 +0000 Ariadne 78909@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not sure where or even if this technically fits in the global challenge but I thought I'd share some pics of myself dressed in traditional Mayan traje (traje sort of means 'outfit' or 'costume') from Nahuala, in the highlandsw of Guatemala, where I do volunteer work helping to teach basic midwifery skills to traditional Mayan birth attendants (aka midwives or comadronas). For the graduation ceremony, all of us extraneros (foreigners) wear the traditional traje. I actually purchased mine and it lives in my trunk. For a while I had the blouse hanging on my wall as art. I have a lot of other Guatemalan textiles and one day plan to turn a whole wall into a sort of textile gallery.</p> <p>The traje consists of 3 main items: the huipile, which is a blouse hand-woven on backstrap looms over weeks or even months--this is the main part of the traje and each village has its own unique colours and designs that they use for their huipiles--the faja or woven belt, and the corte, which is a tube of fabric that is folded around the waist and held in place by the faja. Here is some info:<br /> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huipil" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huipil</a><br /> <a href="http://www.anthro.fsu.edu/wovenvoices/weaving/huipil.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.anthro.fsu.edu/wove.....uipil.html</a><br /> <a href="http://www.rutahsa.com/traje.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rutahsa.com/traje.html</a><br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/?q=traje&#038;w=424870%40N20&#038;m=pool&#038;s=&#038;mt=&#038;referer_searched=" rel="nofollow">http://www.flickr.com/search/g....._searched=</a></p> <p>This blog has some lovely photos of Mayan women:<br /> <a href="http://www.antiguadailyphoto.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.antiguadailyphoto.com</a></p> <p>And here is me in my traje from Nahuala!:<br /> <a href="http://unfashioned.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/traje-from-guatemala/" rel="nofollow">http://unfashioned.wordpress.c.....guatemala/</a></p> <p>Nahuala has a unique custom of purposely using red or purple threads that will bleed their colour onto the white fabric background. In the past, silk thread was much more expensive than cotton, but silk bled its colour. This led to colour bleeding being a sign of status. Now, even though synthetic threads are common and silk is rarely used, this colour bleed has become a hallmark of huipiles from Nahuala. My huipile has a double-headed eagle woven into it, which is sort of the mascot of Nahuala, as well as a lot of small birds, and the geometric shapes are ojos de dios, or "eyes of god".</p> <p>I didn't make it to Guatemala this year but hope to go back to volunteer this spring. I miss it so much it hurts. I can't even begin to describe how powerful, beautiful, moving, and humbling the Mayan women of Guatemala are. Their style is about resistance, pride, and heritage as well as radiant, riotous, unadulterated beauty and colour. Killer to the max. </p>