Brandenburg Gate and Museum Island filled with the Colors of Guatemala
On March 9th, Guatemalan cultural richness filled parts of Berlin with color
March 09th, 2023
On the March 9th, 2023, the Guatemalan cultural richness filled parts of Berlin with color, such as the Brandenburg Gate and Museum Island, as part of their participation in the ITB Berlin, where they seek to position the country as an international travel destination. The event was supported by the Guatemalan Embassy.
The Guatemalan fabric is a cultural and social legacy, highlighted by the quality in its production and the variety of designs and vibrant colors that it has. This weaving art dates back to the Mayan era, when clothing was made by means of the waist loom, which is the same as today in Guatamala. Legend has it that the goddess Maya Ixchel, revered Mayan deity who had influence over women and who represents the goddess of tissue and fertility, seeing the spider weaving its web, created the waist loom and taught her daughters how to work on it so they could craft the costumes.
Each symbol that a Guatemalan weaver weaves or embroiders has a visual and conceptual element. The visual part includes the form, color and material, while the conceptual part is constituted by the element of the design that comes from a much larger concept such as a myth, a legend or a community story.
For example, the zig-zag image represents the snake, the hills are the ups and downs in the lives of women in various communities, while the vertical furrows or cholaj in brown color, woven between the red stripes of sobrehuipiles by the kaqchikeles weavers of Tecpán, represent the mother earth, which in Mesoamerican cosmogony is the one that welcomes and gives food to people.
Guatemala produces magnificent handicrafts; many are handmade of pre-Hispanic origin or mestizas that with their color and tradition are part of their heritage and contribute to the economy of the country.
