dead heat

It has been nice and hot lately. Extremely hot. These last legs of summer and August always bring a nice sense of nostalgia of being a kid, playing with my sister and cousins, being outdoors all day and night, and just general fun and warmth of having a good time with people you love and love you back. 

When I was 20 I visited Guatemala for the last time. It is a heartbreakingly beautiful country in an even more heartbreaking state of poverty, corruption, and crime with yet the kindest, warmest people you'll ever meet. My father is Guatemalan and from as long as I can remember being conscious I have been extremely proud of my background and Mayan roots- as in being the obnoxious third grader who writes every report about the Maya and won't STFU about the time she visited Tikal last summer. 

Early 20th century photo from the National Geographic blog

I have anxious to visit again. For several months now, even heading back to last year I have been trying to make it happen but unfortunately always seem to be thwarted by some circumstance out of my control. My calendar is looking busy for the next couple of months, but I am officially planning to head down in November. I just decided about 10 minutes ago that I will make this happen no matter how hard it is, so you heard it hear first. 

from La Selva blog 

 from La Selva blog 

The culture in Guatemala is so rich. Textiles especially seem to be an artesian speciality and a national treasure. Each small village and indigenous clan has its own pattern that is weaved into the textiles produced by said clan using colors specific to the area. Indigenous women weave everything by hand, and more amazing and awe-inspiring, they do it all by memory or freehand; they do not work from pre-designed guides or instruction booklets. The process is long, a weaver can take up to 3 months to produce a blouse known as a huipil, but the results are stunning.   

I cannot wait to visit some weaving workshops when I am next in Guatemala. I should start a Guatemalan textile collection!

I recently discovered a beautiful line of contemporary clothing made using traditional Guatemalan textiles resulting in gorgeous pieces I cannot wait to get my paws on! La Selva is based in New York but sources all their textiles from indigenous weavers in Guatemala and even donates a portion of each sale to Guatemala's  National Textile Museum! Can this brand be any cooler? Check out some of my favorite pieces, the first of which is an example of an huipil in my favorite color palate. I am seriously head over heels!    

 from La Selva site

 from La Selva site

Through La Selva I also discovered Molantico, an Australian brand that makes shoes using textiles from Guatemala among other countries. I am partial to their Guate boots, but I may be biased. Check out their amazing work-

 from the Molantico site