Chichicastenango Craft Market - Guatemala

During our time in Quetzaltenango- (Xela) in Guatemala I knew i wanted to visit the market in Chichicastenango which I heard is a must. I am from Guatemala and have never been before. We arranged for a bus to take us with a guide. On our way there we passed by a "mirador" or a lookout point where you can get nice pictures taken. Of course, we stopped and this is when I realize my digital camera battery is about to die. I snap one shot in my panic and pout all the way to Chichicastenango. Taking pictures was the most important part! So many colors, textiles to see and me with nothing but a disposable camera I had in my bag. In the end, it might have been a blessing in disguise. I only had 24 shots in my disposable camera so this forced me to just give up on the thought of endless colorful pictures and just enjoy the moment. And it was wonderful. With that said, I actually enjoyed getting the little disposable camera photos developed in a little shop in Xela and having my 24 tangible photos of this trip.

-Wendy

Trama Days

My long awaited trip finally happened. I had read about Trama Textiles year ago and had always known I'd make the trip to visit them one day in Guatemala. I have a special place in my heart for Guatemalan art and textiles since It's the place where my roots are. Theres more info about Trama on the Trama website. To make a long story short, me and Uy went to the highlands of Guatemala and spend all our time with the most adorable women who taught us the art of the traditional backstrap loom. We were in over our heads, but weaving this way was a true lesson in patience and one I will cherish forever.

My Story

I figured I could make one blog post where I could share the whole "enchilada". So here goes.

I was born in Guatemala and still have tons of family there. I visited a lot as a child and teen and spend summer vacations in grandpa's house where I was born. This is the same house where my dad and his 7 siblings grew up. It used to be a house made of adobe which has been fixed up over the years and has a lot of history.

my two aunties outside grandpa's house in the 50's.

Me and my parents moved to NYC, " the concrete jungle" when I was about 3 years old. I grew up in the Bronx playing outside in the bursting hydrants in the summer or rolling around in the snow in central park in the winter.

My life involved learning english as a young kid and learning to fit in. Believe it or not, there weren't that many Guatemalan kids in the Bronx. I would come home to eat tortillas and frijoles and lay on blankets with colorful Guatemalan patterns and colors.

the patio and garden in Guatemala.

tiny me feeling lost in NYC. What are all these layers?

I've been drawing for as long as I can remember and art was a way for me to get away and go into my own little world when it was a little rough fitting in. So it made sense that I gave up my gym class in middle school to take art class ( I had a better chance at succeeding there) and went to the High School of Art & Design next and FIT for my BFA.  I've been blessed that NYC has been my playground in HS when our school was just a concrete building. Central park offered the biggest playground a kid could want.

These days, I'm balancing working as a textile designer and making sure I don't ever stop playing and just getting my hands dirty doing what I love. This little place on the web is just a little piece of my world to share my doodles.

On a recent trip back home.

-Wendy