Maya Artists Showcase Ancestral Textiles at CARIFESTA in Barbados

Maya organizations have commended Mopan Maya artists, Luciana Chun and Magdalena Chiac, for representing their culture at the Caribbean Festival of Arts CARIFESTA in Barbados. The Sarstoon-Temash Institute for Indigenous Management, SATIIM, and the Belizean Maya brand Xe’il: True to Our Roots issued a statement highlighting the women. The artists, masters of the ancestral textile art known as Xok’bil Chuy, or ‘counted stitches,’ will present a tradition passed down for millennia from mother to daughter. This hand-sewn art form is a testament to the survival of the Mopan Maya culture, which is at risk of losing its language and traditions. The event will also feature the screening of the documentary, Xe’il – Threads of Culture, Tradition and Community, which highlights the work of the artists and the brand. This film has been screened globally and will now position the Mopan Maya within the wider Caribbean cultural landscape. The participation of the artists and SATIIM at CARIFESTA is made possible through support from the Caribbean Development Bank and Creative Caribbean, a project funded by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO, CARICOM, and the University of the West Indies. The two artists arrived in Barbados yesterday.