San Juan La Laguna, an indigenous community on the south shore of Lake Atitlán, is known for the vibrant colors of its yarn and the beautiful textiles made with it. I visited a Mayan women weaving cooperative that produces and sells beautiful textiles. The best part? Profits from all sales are put right back into the community, where poverty and illiteracy are still sadly prevalent. So I pretty much walked in and said take my money.
The kind women then demonstrated how they make fabric from organic cotton, how they make all natural dyes, and how they weave their products. For example, yellow and light green shades are made from chamomile and it can take them up to two weeks to weave a scarf.