supporting community, culture, and the arts since 1898
2286 CEDAR STREET | BERKELEY, CA 94709
Office 510 848-3227 Text or Emergency 510 213-4292
Jolom Mayaetik
A cooperative of Maya Women Weavers
Founded in 1996 by 250 craftswomen from the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, the cooperative comprises Maya women from 11 different communities with diverse weaving traditions and distinctive traditional designs. They also work to develop contemporary designs that incorporate traditional symbols and techniques. Most weave on the backstrap loom; some embroider as well. A team of young women uses the floor loom and sewing machine. They use only cotton and locally produced wool, the wool colored with natural dyes.
A conversation in Spanish with a former president of the cooperative
and a master weaver is available here:
Handwoven, hand-seamed, Tzotzil
brocaded blouses, 28 x 28,” $90.
Handwoven, hand-seamed, Tzeltal striped and
embroidered blouses, 28 x 28,” $80.
Kitchen towels, 18 x 27” $20
Handwoven, hand-seamed, striped and embroidered blouses from Pantelhó, 28 x 28,” $80.
Placemats 12 x 14” $15; tea napkins 8 x8 “ $10
Handwoven tablecloths, with hand-seamed panels. Left, 3-panels, caramel, 48 x 90,” $250; 4-panels, purple, 65 x 66,” $280; 4-panels, moss green, 64 x 64,” $280; 4-panels, forest green, 64 x 64,” $280.
Table runners, from top: red with 10 black tapestry bands, 17 x 54,” $75; burgundy sold; wheat with 8 orange tapestry bands, 21 x 38,” $60; gray with 5 white tapestry bands,
14 x 18.5,” $45; red with 6 black tapestry bands, 14 x 18.5,” $45
From top: purple runner 16.5 x 74,” $75;
brick red, 15 x 20,” $20; white, 13.5 x 14,” $15
And a collector’s piece, a faja tradicional, traditional man’s sash, densely-woven red, with
single-weft horizontal stripes of white/red/black, each end embroidered in a diamond pattern,
with 4-inch hand-twisted fringe; 10 x 108,” $300.
Shawls, 20 x 80” $70.
Medium Tzotzil huipiles, 24 x 24”: upper left, black brocade on yellow, $75; lavender on magenta, $75; blue on pale aqua, $80.
Right: purple blusa Maya, $90;
black brocade on red, $85.
Tzeltal huipiles, 24 x 24,” $75.
Pantelhó huipiles, 24 x 24,” $75.
Traditional Tzotil Maya red & black pattern, 17 x 34,” $150; navy blue, 17 x 31.5,” $70; red, 16.5 x 33,” $110; black, 16 x 32” (shown folded in half or quarter)
Top right, 15 x 30,” $60; plum, 16.5 x 32,” $70; purple, 17 x 32,” $70; green, 17 x 33,” $70; magenta, 17 x 33,” $70; moss green, 17 x 32,” $70; green, 17 x 34,” $70. (shown folded in half or quarter)
Small blouses, 20 x 22,” $65.
Left row: 13.5 x 20,” $50; right row: 9.5 x 18,” $30
Traditional men’s net bag, 6 x 10” $25
2 12 x 14” drawstring bags, cords long enough to carry on shoulder
3 8 x 8” embroidered black wool shoulder bags, $35; 6.5 x 6.5” white natural dye wool bag $25; 5 x 5” brown natural dye wool, $20.
2 4 x 6” tapestry shoulder cellphone bag with zipper, $20
7 3 x 6” zippered tapestry purses, $15
4 embroidered wool zippered coin purses, 1 wool wallet, zipper and velcro closures, $25
Handwoven cotton pillow covers, 16 x 16,” $45. Two pairs, magenta stripes at center bottom
Handwoven cotton pillow covers, 16 x 16,” $45. Two pairs, magenta stripes at center bottom
16 x 16” pairs, with embroidered symbols, $90 per pair or $45 each
Handwoven brocaded pillows 16 x 16,” $70 (the 2 on the right less densely brocaded, $50)
An article published for the opening of the cooperative's exhibition
at the San Francisco Airport Museum.
Click on image for the article:
An oral history of the cooperative founding and its members is
available from the University of Oklahoma Press.
Click on the image for the article:
