Textiles, the Book the Colonizers Couldn’t Burn

Textiles, often referred to as “the book the colonizers couldn’t burn”, come from the Maya weaving tradition that reaches back well before colonization. This matriarchal tradition, passed from mothers to daughters, has been compared to a silent resistance movement by women who were able to shield a major part of their cultural heritage by confining stories and symbols to the intricate weavings on their backstrap looms*. This art, and other facets of life related to fertility and the women’s role in Maya culture, was understood to be governed by the Maya goddess Ixchel (pronounced Ish-el) and...