Many of these are very disturbing facts and figures, especially for a traveler from the relative affluence of the United States. However, understanding them did not diminish my interest in visiting Guatemala. I had already observed an indigenous culture which created weavings of wondrous beauty imbued with brilliant, almost incandescent colors. I felt entranced by their loveliness and longed to probe the realities which underlay their creation. I wanted to understand how a society constrained by the facts described above could produce works of such amazing beauty.

The MayaWorks Tour provided an opportunity to visit schools and meet artisans in several indigenous communities. The itinerary allowed for acclimation to Guatemala City and a visit to the ancient site of Tikal before adventuring further. After an initial stop at the MayaWorks Center where artisan products are warehoused before being shipped to Chicago, we adventured to several towns and some extremely remote mountain villages to meet the women artisans and their families, and the school children in some of the institutions which MayaWorks supports. In every instance, we were welcomed effusively as representatives of an organization whose interest and accomplishments for the people were very highly valued. We shook hands with each person, trying to express with our touch the commonality and respect we felt. The artisans individually introduced themselves and spoke with grace and eloquence of what MayaWorks had meant in their lives. Their self-composure in doing so was especially impressive for women who probably had not had to speak in such a public way in their normal lives, and often was more graceful than our own introductions. We benefitted from insightful translation from Spanish by Sarah Cunningham of MayaWorks, and by Mirian Otzin from Kaqchikel into Spanish.

All the women were proudly dressed in traje, lovely woven blouses with wrapped skirts secured by woven belts. These blouses (huipils) often incorporate the cosmovision of the people in such a way that in putting on their blouse, they put on their faith and worldview. Their community solidarity was obvious, even as our own diversity was clear. Small in stature compared to us due to their lifetimes of limited nourishment, their beautiful faces and sincerity touched our hearts. Several times they told us of the impact of recent MayaWorks-sponsored training taken by some of the artisans in subjects such as self-esteem, a concept about which they had never before heard. Although we tried to express that American women also struggle with self-esteem issues, our world is so removed from theirs that they may not have understood. They spoke with pride and excitement of plans they had for MayaWorks grants, such as opening a thread store for the village in San Marcos, obtaining new, wider looms in Xotenox, or using corrugated roofing to add weaving rooms to their homes in Aguas Calientes. (Some of the weavings we bought carried the fragrance of wood smoke from being created in the kitchens of the weavers.) Several times we were able to purchase artisan works from the artisans who created them, a wonderful experience for both parties. In fact, each of us felt compelled to spend and spend as an expression of our heartfelt appreciation for the opportunity of visiting them.

We learned that the work these women do for MayaWorks is of vital importance to their family's economics. Probably every indigenous woman in a village is a weaver of fabrics for her family and some for sale to tourists, but that work has traditionally been marginalized. Now we heard testimonials even by husbands of the difference being a MayaWorks weaver has made. The women are able to add protein to their diets more often, to pay for medicines, to repay loans, and to care for their children. As yet few are able to use their income as investment in growth, but that is their hope. They weave for many reasons. It is obviously a source of joy and aesthetic pleasure to make beautiful things. It is a source of pride to make things admired by others. Now it is also a source of income, and they weave to sell. Still, we found that the time spent weaving is unpaid time for these women, and their prices seemed very low to us. In village markets, prices are much higher, with profits being taken by those who sell the weavings of others. We also learned that the floor loom is replacing the backstrap loom for many weavers because with it they can make many more products more quickly. They are beginning to weave what the buyer demands, and we only saw the backstrap loom being used for personal items such as their blouses (huipils) or ceremonial items such as a cloth to be given as a bridal gift. I had the opportunity to try using the backstrap loom, which really enhanced my appreciation of their woven products. One artisan told us she had 27 patterns in her head, while we watched her using a pick to raise selected warps and encircle them with hundreds of colorful wrappings per row.

In several instances, we were treated to refreshments or lunches prepared by the artisans we visited. Steaming bowls of chicken broth were accompanied by rice, cooked carrots and squash, and a generous serving of chicken, all of which could be added to the broth. Usually there were both tamales and tortillas as well. Custom kept the hostesses from sitting with us, and we felt almost uncomfortably honored by being served meals they usually could not have afforded for themselves. They were doubtless more at ease informally chatting in their Maya tongue together over their own lunches. After lunch, there were photos, more purchases, and fond farewells. These women exhibited no shame or stigma about their poverty because their lives are not measured by material standards. They are central to their loving families, and have an affluence in wanting little that we who are never satisfied in our pursuit of affluence may never experience.

When we visited schools, we sometimes shook hands with nearly every child. Digital cameras let some of us become Pied Pipers, as the children all wanted to be recorded and then to see the results. Their smiles and excitement were magnetic. We saw a concrete playground and a water pump built with MayaWorks donations, and at one school learned that many children were absent because the MayaWorks gift of soccer uniforms had resulted in such a successful season that they were in another town being honored that day. Several times we were entertained by dances and songs, and addressed by village leaders thanking MayaWorks for its generosity. Classrooms were decorated and orderly, with enthusiastic teachers. All the girls wore traje while the boys were dressed in western clothes, just like their parents. MayaWorks offers scholarships to the daughters of its artisans because the sons are more privileged with independence, more education, and more contact with economic opportunities. There is clear gender disparity in Guatemala, as in many societies.

Particularly interesting was our visit to Comalapa, the town where Mirian Otzin, the MayaWorks Coordinator in Guatemala lives. After lunch with the weavers held at her mother's home, we were shown a public mural nearly a quarter mile in length depicting the history of the town. Artistically painted, there were scenes from the colonial period, through the devastation of the earthquake of 1973, to the long period of deadly and chilling violence in the civil war, and up to the modern problems of inequality in opportunity, environmental degradation, alcoholism, and migration to the cities. This work of art tellingly portrayed the self-image of the people of the town as they cling to their heritage and pride in a time of increasing diversity of religion and opportunity.

That evening Mirian invited us into her attractive three-story home in town for dinner, where our conversation included the difficulties faced by educated, middle-class Maya women who enjoy wearing traje but are sometimes subject to discrimination by being stereotyped by others in society. Mirian is fluent in Spanish and Kaqchiquel, and is studying English. Guatemala must continue to be a multilingual society which values its diversity, but this is a challenge to the educational system as well as to the individual.

Another testimonial came from Diego Chavez in the town of Santiago Atitlan. We heard the story of a deadly 1990 confrontation between the Guatemalan army and the unarmed people of the town in which 13 citizens had died, now memorialized in the Peace Park where we stood. This unprecedented act of unified resistance by the people led to the eventual removal of the army from the village. Only a few steps away was the path of the horrendous mudslide of Hurricane Stan in 2005 which took over 200 lives. MayaWorks was instrumental in raising funds for relief work for this disaster, and has purchased land for 10 families to reestablish their homes and lives. The history of such dreadful misfortunes seemed out of place in this beautiful setting on the shore of Lake Atitlan, just as our group's very comfortable hotel seemed anomalous on a road where many laborers walked burdened by enormous piles of firewood. Guatemala is a land of such disparity and contrasts, and our tour members observed and experienced them in some discomfort.

The MayaWorks Tour was a seminal experience in my life. Never have I done so much research about a place to which I would travel, and I am still studying. The challenge of understanding Guatemala will be a lifetime project. It was an incredible privilege to travel as a representative of an organization such as MayaWorks, of which I could be nothing but proud. Kathleen Morkert, as our leader, embodied the organization's deep commitment to individuals, to principles, and to respectful intervention to improve lives. Sarah Cunninham's generous warmth encouraged native speakers. honesty as she translated their words. MayaWorks is a generous, philanthropic organization, engaged in activities of great value to many people. But it is also a tactful agent of change, offering hope, pride, and a better future to the women with whom it works. Its grants and microloans allow the recipients a means of self-determination. It is not just a charity, but its charitable investments encourage and enable individual and community development. Most important of all, by selling the women's artistic work, MayaWorks empowers each artist to be self-supporting. Much more than a gift, a purchase provides independence and self-esteem.

The indigenous people we met in Guatemala face many challenges, but working with MayaWorks will help them to discover ways to remain Maya people, with pride in their cultural heritage, while developing themselves in a future of a continuing change. I have no doubt that I will continue to watch the development of Guatemala with the same intoxication and amazement I initially felt. Obviously, I encourage you to share this experience on one of the MayaWorks Tours.

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