Woven Time. Mayan textiles from Guatemala linking tradition and the global market

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To this day, even after the fusion of Indian and Christian European elements in the country, the Mayan textile tradition retains its value in the religious and social life of Guatemala. During Guatemala's varied and painful history, notably the subjugation of the indigenous population, dictatorship and civil war, clothing has become an important symbol of identity, self-assertion and resistance. Additionally, it has become a significant economic factor in the country's tourism through which new financial and social opportunities, but also new dependencies emerge. The productions techniques and the designs of clothing items and fabrics provide also a living testimony of cultural exchange. The high artistic and aesthetic values of those items make a strong impression on the beholder.