Cojolya

Cojolya Association of Maya Women Weavers, based in Santiago Atitlán, Sololá, is a registered non-profit and certified Fair Trade organization. Founded in 1983, during the Guatemalan civil war, by American textile designer and entrepreneur Candis E. Krummel and Santiago Atitlán native and Tz’utujil Mayan craftsman Antonio Ramirez Sosof, Cojolya was established to support widows who lost their husbands through the military persecution of the Maya population, which threatened their livelihoods and weaving traditions. The organization’s mission is to support cultural traditions and textile arts, and preserve backstrap weaving; making it a financially viable craft through which indigenous women are economically empowered to support themselves and their communities.

The Artisan Business Model

Cojolya supports its artisans by providing market access, through social development initiatives and a commitment to a fair living wage - “artisans receive wages that are more than double what an average weaver would make in local markets”. Their 30 weavers or socias (business partners) - some of which they have worked with for over 30 years - are supplied with design guidelines and locally sourced yarns, and largely work from home.

“This is beneficial for our artisans, because they have obligations outside of Cojolya as mothers, wives, daughters, etc. and they can work on their own schedules.”

Cojolya’s contemporary textile designs employ the Brocade weaving, Jaspé dyeing and hand embroidery techniques that feature in the local traje (traditional indigenous clothing). Fabrics produced by the artisans on traditional backstrap looms are woven to suit the dimensions of the final product - interior and fashion accessories. Supporting the local economy, predominantly through the tourism sector, products are sold in Cojolya’s Santiago Atitlán store, via their online shop, and by a small number of national and international retailers to supplement sales.

The Cojolya museum, that accompanies the store, showcases the process of backstrap loom weaving as it is practiced by Tz’utujil Maya artisans. This, alongside their Community Artisan Tours and weaving classes, underpins Cojolya’s commitment to ethical eco-sustainable tourism, through tourist education about ethical craft production and the sale of high quality sustainable handmade goods.

The organization’s Mano a Mano program (Hand in Hand for Development), further invests in the education, through the provision of professional development training for the diversification of crafts skills and gender equality, health, and worker rights workshops for the empowerment of the artisans. Cojolya’s children’s education initiatives also strive to address the financial, social and academic factors that contribute to high school dropout rates in indigenous communities. In Santiago Atitlán, only 24% of children are enrolled in school after the 6th grade.

COVID | The Artisan Experience

As the orders placed prior to the pandemic were honoured, Cojolya’s artisans were able to continue work, facilitated by their existing remote working arrangements. Once pre-Covid orders had been fulfilled, sales and orders diminished. Whilst some level of production was maintained, it was necessary for the artisans to source alternative forms of income, such as assisting their husbands with the coffee harvest.

When it became apparent that the pandemic was not going to be short-lived and the imposition of curfews and border closures was imminent, people feared shortages of supplies and began stocking up on essential items. Cojolya’s Executive Director Carine Coché Vásquez, recalls: 

“A whole year’s savings were spent in a matter of one or two days, because there were rumours that the borders were going to be closed. The situation was totally out-of-control as the prices of corn, sugar, beans, tomatoes and other staple foods soared to their highest levels.”

As the pandemic continued, Cojolya, alongside other organizations and churches, delivered essential supplies - staple food baskets and hygiene products - to families increasingly in need and fearful for their futures. In order to finance this emergency aid, funds were redirected from Cojolya’s education program, and a Global Giving fundraising page was initiated. This was essential for the provision of community aid, as Coché Vásquez outlines:

“If it weren’t for the donations collected through Global Giving and other sources, it wouldn’t have been possible to extend help to families who weren’t associated with Cojolya, mainly widowed women, elderly people. “

Despite this aid, inadequate health services, along with a mistrust of the hospital system and stigmatization of those infected with Covid-19, resulted in deterioration of health within artisan communities.  Alongside the provision of emergency food aid, Cojolya’s children’s education program, with the support of donors to the ‘Covid-19 Emergency Relief for Guatemalan Artisans’ project, provided home schooling support for artisans’ children who were unable to access online classes due to no internet or computer access.

COVID | The Business Impact of Pandemic Response

Before the global pandemic, Cojolya was experiencing a high value of orders. Pre-lockdown, national tradeshows, such as New Word Crafts, and tourist sales accounted for the majority of Cojolya’s sales. A significant proportion of their revenue came from face-to-face sales. When European and U.S. retail partners’ boutiques closed and subsequently tourism stopped as the crisis unfolded, Cojolya experienced a sudden stalling of orders, as Carine Coché Vásquez explains:

“The blow was so hard for everybody and our American and European retail clients were the first to feel Covid’s economic fallout [...] We no longer had either direct sales [through the store] or new orders coming in. Literally, zero sales.”

Unfortunately, this significant loss in revenue resulted in some (non-artisan) staff being laid off as adjustments to expenditure had to be made. Nevertheless, Cojolya kept the artisans working, at the expense of the organization’s working capital, at a time where they had “much to sell, but nothing to produce”. With the exception of the making of masks, making changes to product lines was deemed to be too risky.

“We couldn’t make something new or design a product too quickly because we didn’t know whom to sell to. We couldn’t honestly make changes in production because we didn’t know, and still don’t know, if there is a market for a new product, apart from the masks.“

The company’s established social media was, however, used to give their artisans a platform to sell the textiles that they would usually have sold independently during the tourist season. A selection of tuzts (shawls), huipils (blouses) and belts were displayed on Instagram, with national and U.S. shipping available, and all proceeds going directly to the maker.

THE FUTURE

The tourism dependent business model that Cojolya have traditionally operated on has proven challenging and restrictive during the pandemic - leaving them vulnerable and raising questions about the future direction of the business. It has reaffirmed the advantages of home production, as well as highlighting the invaluable contribution Cojolya makes to local economy and community.

“[...] currently we are thinking about a health program [...] we have a small project to raise funds for this, so that women can have access to healthcare. We think about supporting them with access to medicine and doctors’ appointments. We cannot offer jobs now, but we can support in other ways.“

Whilst Cojolya remains committed to the continuation of artisan and community development programs, the uncertainties surrounding the recovery of the tourist sector, potential new waves of Covid and delays to the country’s Covid vaccine program, innovative approaches will be necessary to adapt to the new normal. This includes adaptations to product lines in order to appeal to the national market - the Guatemalans themselves - consumers that “don’t usually buy crafts”.

“What we have in our current inventory won’t sell easily to our nationals, who are looking for products with a low price tag. Cutting our artisans’ payments are not in our plans [...] Our current plan is to come up with a line of foot-loom made products, which are less time consuming for the weaver, and offer them at a lower price while continuing to generate a source of income to our artisan community.”

Until tourism returns - though restrictions have eased, Guatemala’s tourism is down by 95% - social media provides vital exposure and connection to the international market, both for product sales and to promote the work of the organization and their artisans, to raise the funds on which Cojolya currently depend.