Outside Social Movements: Dilemmas of Indigenous

Handicrafts vendors in Guatemala

Written by Walter Little

Basic ideas

• Antigua, Guatemala and the Compañía de Jesús Artisan Marketplace

• Concept of flexible of identity and how it operates within an economic and political space

• “In this article I discuss the interrelationship between occupation and social movements to examine the essentialized identities propagated by the Maya Movement and Ladino racism”

• Examines the reaction of the Maya handicraft sellers towards the Maya Movement

Background Information

• In Antigua, Mayas from 6 different ethnolinguistic groups sell handicrafts

• Selling handicrafts is nothing new

• In 1992, vendors had to relocate to the Compañia de Jesús monastary

• These vendors are relatively wealthy ($2,700/yr and up to $8,000/yr)

Women Vendors

• For Kaqchikeles it is normally a woman running the stall - sell woven items

• For K’iche’ vendors, they sell blankets and rugs and the stalls are run by men but they sometimes hire women Kaqchikel salesclerks

• Increase in importance of handicraft sales

• Marketplace and the household are interrelated

• “In nearly all the locales run by Kaqchikeles, the women make all the decisions about how the money earned will be used by the household” (Little 49)

Selling Identity to Tourists

• Kaqchikel Maya women understand the role of the international tourist

• Tourists want to see the image of Maya women they see on the travel brochures• Increases the importance of

gender

• Dramatized identity

• “…even the doubters treat the marketplace as a space in which to play with Maya Indians”

Political Identity

• They do not emphasize their Maya identity with the Ladino, and often racist government

• Portray the identity “of the backward, uneducated, ignorant Indian”

• “They position themselves as artisans”

• Non-confrontational

• “Antigua has never had a mayor who was interested in helping us”

• Livelihood is tied to politics, not just economics

Artisan Association

• Compañía de Jesús Artisan Association

• 10th year, democratic institution

• Women and men hold important roles

• Refuse to associate with other local associations and businesses

• 2 strategies – making the marketplace safe and pleasing to tourists and lobbying the local government

The Maya Movement

• “The Maya Movement uses cultural symbols instead of class, labor, or poverty to build a political constituency to challenge non-Maya attitudes about the Mayas and to create a more equitable society” (51)

• Unite all Mayas – emphasize certain historical and cultural aspects

• Aim of building a Maya constituency and political base to change Guatemalan society

Multiple identities

• Maya is only “a term used to to promote tourism and commerce” (52)• Do not call themselves Mayas although

they do promote their “Mayanness”

• With different identities, they can make sales and try to protect themselves politically

• Flexible identities, which they prefer to use to improve their livelihood

• Importance of independence

Conclusion

• Kaqchikel and K’inche’ Maya vendors and the Mayan Movement’s ideas do not align

• Role of international marketability and political positioning• Differences are both expressed and

supressed

• “It’s not only what we make, buy who were are that is important” – Maya vendor

• Importance of identity