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The Women of Panabaj

At 4:00 a.m. on the morning of October 5th, 2005 a mud slide devastated the small Tzutujil village of Panabaj. Torrential rains brought on by Hurricane Stan hit Guatemala and southern Mexico hard, but nowhere harder than Panabaj, Guatemala. An estimated 600 died and thousands more escaped with little more than the clothes on their back.

With the help of a local hotel owner and a handicrafts trader, a group of survivors formed a crafts co-op called "Las Mujeres de Panabaj" or "The Women of Panabaj".

Panabaj, meaning "many rocks" in Tzutujil, was situated at the base of Volcano Atitlan, near the town of Santiago Atitlan, by Lake Atitlan, in the highlands of Guatemala. Panabaj was essentially a suburb of Santiago, populated by those who couldn't afford land in the town proper.

Generous aid from around the world supported the survivors in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, but aid only goes so far. David Glanville, the proprietor of Posada de Santiago with his friend Salvador Pop Xicay collected funds from individual donors to buy looms for the weavers and finance the initial investment in beads and thread. As the women had nowhere to work, they oversaw the construction of a new workshop, paid for with a generous grant from Pueblo a Pueblo.

Now gainful employment has to replacing financial aid; and it is, in fact production has growing to the point that new customers are needed. Weaving and beading allow these women to help support their families without having to learn Spanish, which few speak to any degree of proficiency, if at all. Indeed this work doesn't just support them, it keeps an ancient and beautiful way of life alive and economically viable.

When you buy from Las Mujeres de Panabaj you are buying from the producers themselves. They, like you, are running a business. They understand that their long term profitability goes hand-in-hand with yours. To that end, their prices are competative and quality superb. The difference is that you likewise can be sure your money helps rebuild the lives of those who lost so much on that early October morning.

Meet the women         See their products