Jane Mintz, founder of Maya Traditions with Marcelle Renkin, Social Worker

Maya Traditions is a fair-trade producer and wholesale business based in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala and Edgewater, Florida. For over ten years we have worked with Maya indigenous weavers in the highlands of Guatemala. Our mission is to support weaving groups and small family businesses through providing consistent income, as well as health and education projects.

In Guatemala we work with more than 100 Maya women in five established groups in rural villages. We predominantly work with women who do backstrap weaving, an ancient traditional art which women can do at home while caring for their families. In addition, we work with a group of women crochet artisans, footloom weavers, and small family businesses.

Our primary focus is the creation of high-quality weaving and hand crochet products while preserving the integrity of these traditional crafts. We work with the artisan groups to combine new colors and ideas that appeal to a wider international market. Both the weavers and our year-round staff in Guatemala are involved in the quality control process, thereby maintaining the highest possible standards. These skilled artisans take pride in their weaving and the presentation of their work.

At the heart of our efforts at Maya Traditions is the improvement of the weaver's quality of life; many are faced with poverty and lack basic services. We strive to pay a fair wage in the local context. We are also committed to helping the weavers with health care and the education of their children, which are priorities expressed by many women. This involves an herbal medicine project and a scholarship program funded by donations.