Where were you the Summer of ’74?
Many people ask me, “Why Guatemala?”
In 1974, I spent four months traveling through Mexico and Guatemala.
I studied anthropology in college and had been weaving since I was 13 years old. My college mentor suggested this trip to me.
It was the trip of a lifetime.
I lived with a Mayan family, learned back strap weaving, and collected indigenous textiles.
My friend Louise Vogel and I drove all around the Guatemala Highlands and Mexico, studying the textiles. We lived our of her orange VW minivan.
In 2006, I went back to Guatemala and began to work with a Fair Trade Weavers’ Co-op. Now, I bring groups of travelers along with me to revel in the beauty of the country, learn about the co-ops that produce my designs, and share about the philanthropy work being done for Mayan Families.
I finally reunited with my Mayan family, the Bonita-Perezes, a few years back! We have held each other in our hearts for these last 43 years, and now I am able to see them each time I visit Guatemala.
