Mayan Creations, LLC Information

Hand Made Beaded Jewelry (with magnetic closures!) Our finely crafted pieces are the rich designs of the Mayan women in the village of Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala. Combining the finest stones, beads and Czech crystals with their astonishing creativity for design and color, they have created these beautiful works of art. Producing hand-made jewelry provides these artisan women with above average earnings, which greatly improves their lives and that of their families. What’s more, they do so without compromising their cultural heritage and tradition. Two hundred and fifty women have been working together in this cottage industry for 10 years. They usually work in small groups as they thoroughly enjoy the social interaction. They speak Tzutujil as their first (and usually only) language, a Mayan language unique to Santiago Atitlan and a few surrounding villages. In most cases they shoulder the burden of providing for their families alone, due to the loss of so many Mayan men in the civil war. They meet in a central area every afternoon where they are provided with a hot meal in order not to have to take time away from work for food preparation. Their beading business is one of the most successful small industries in Guatemala.