It was late afternoon when I arrived in Antigua, just as the sun dipped behind the volcanoes that ring the city—the most iconic of which is Volcan de Agua, with its perfectly symmetrical cone. My taxi rattled along the cobblestone streets, past blooming jacaranda trees, the yellow Santa Catalina Arch, colonial homes painted in hues of turquoise and terracotta, and Maya women walking gracefully in handwoven huipiles (traditional tunic-like garments). Clothing is often a lens into a society’s history, values, and artistry—and nowhere is this truer than in Guatemala.
Long revered for its vibrant weaving traditions, Guatemala is home to centuries-old textile practices upheld by Indigenous Maya communities. Today, a growing movement of designers, hoteliers, and cultural stewards—many of them women—are celebrating, preserving, and reimagining this legacy while inviting travelers to experience it firsthand. As someone who has long explored the intersection of culture and craft through my books Patterns of India and Patterns of Portugal, I was drawn to Guatemala’s textile story—and found a remarkable, woman-led trip that allowed me to dive deeper into its societal significance.
My guide was Molly Berry, the California-born, Guatemala-based founder of Luna Zorro, a textile studio that collaborates with Maya weavers to create handwoven robes, striped throws, and one-of-a-kind vintage cushions—blending Berry’s design sensibility with her partners’ artisanal skill and experience, while ensuring fair wages and sustainable partnerships. “I act as a bridge to connect us all to a global, evolving marketplace,” she says. “I believe this is essential to the future of handmade; staying relevant and existing in luxury settings where the product is honored not only because it is beautiful and stylish but because it is an art form and a creative expression that holds a story of irreplaceable heritage.”
Berry’s small group trips are centered around Guatemala’s textile legacy, designed to connect people to the handmade. “Textiles are so integral to Guatemala; they became the focal point from which the trip unfolds,” she says. A former teacher, Berry scaffolds guests’ experiences, offering hands-on introduction to dyeing and weaving before deepening the journey with experts, whose insights ground the process in cultural context. “By the time we get to the market in Chichicastenango, we can look at a huipil with real understanding,” she says.
Tucked inside a coffee estate on the edge of town, the Luna Zorro studio is equal parts showroom and sanctuary—and where my textile immersion began. On our first full day, we gathered in the sun-dappled courtyard to begin with a hands-on dyeing workshop—boiling pericón flowers and palo de vida wood into golden and terracotta hues, then hand-dyeing cotton aprons. Two master weavers demonstrated their artistry before letting us try our hand at a rustic weave. Lunch, prepared by Wild Daughter, was a vibrant feast: grilled vegetables, fresh salads, handmade tortillas, herb-infused sparkling drinks, and a chocolate masa dessert.
The following day, we visited Casa de Artes, a gallery and boutique founded by Karla Ceballos’s family and home to one of the finest private collections of traditional Guatemalan textiles. As a textile historian, Ceballos offered deep insight into regional symbolism, technique, and the evolution of Maya weaving traditions.
Our time together culminated in a day trip to Chichicastenango, home to Guatemala’s most iconic open-air market. Held every Thursday and Sunday, the market spills through the town’s narrow streets in a vivid display of embroidered huipiles, ikat shawls, tzutes, and ceremonial pieces dyed with cochineal, indigo, and pericón. With my newfound education, I found myself asking better questions: What story does it hold? What technique was used: backstrap or foot loom? And perhaps most important, who made this?
During my time in Antigua, I stayed at Villa Bokéh, a serene hacienda just outside the city and Guatemala’s first Relais Chateaux property. Six acres of lush gardens—home to ducks paddling across a lagoon and hummingbirds darting between blooms—give way to quiet corridors glowing with candlelight and the warm textures of Guatemalan textiles: vintage huipiles framed like gallery pieces, handwoven pillows in deep indigo and cochineal red, and ceramics placed with reverence.
“The entire property is an ode to Guatemalan craftsmanship,” says Katy Jay, the interior designer behind the project and a leader at Grupo Alta, the hospitality group she runs with her mother and sisters. Jay drew from her own textile collection and collaborated with Guatemalan textile expert and collector Violeta Gutiérrez Caxaj to source early 1900s tapestries and antique huipiles that showed off the best of Guatemalan craftsmanship. “I wanted people to understand these pieces as works of art,” she explained. “One of Guatemala s most valuable cultural treasures is our textiles, and we’re one of the few countries where women still weave them entirely by hand.” For centuries, Maya weavers have passed down techniques through generations, embedding each piece with symbolic patterns that tell stories of lineage, spirituality, and community.
Each of the 15 rooms and suites blends neutral-colored elegance with artisan details—ceramics by Mayú, wooden sundials by Clara de Tezanos, black-and-white portraits by photographer and designer Mitchell Denburg—all curated to reflect local culture. “Our furnishings are artisanal but elevated,” says Jay. “We sit with the artisans, explore new techniques, and always collaborate.”
Though Villa Bokéh feels far removed from city life, a short five-minute drive brings you into the heart of Antigua. Once the capital of Guatemala and the seat of Spanish colonial power in Central America, Antigua is framed by three volcanoes—Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango—and laid out in a tidy grid of cobblestone streets. It’s a city of layers: colonial churches and earthquake-ravaged ruins, colorful markets, cafes tucked inside 17th-century buildings, and baroque facades painted in sun-washed tones. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, Antigua is also the cradle of the country’s textile culture. And while the city may be steeped in history, its present is just as compelling.
The city’s streets are lined with farm-to-table restaurants, contemporary galleries, and design-forward boutiques. Nim Pot, a no-frills artisan collective, is packed floor-to-ceiling with vintage blouses, ceramics, and wood carvings. Hilosophy merges backstrap-loom weaving with fashion-forward silhouettes, and Colibrí curates elegant, ethically made homewares from across the country. And when you need a break to eat, you’re spoiled for choices: at the newly opened Libra, savor Mesoamerican flavors crafted with Guatemalan ingredients and a nod to Texan roots, all in a beautifully restored space. For fresh, farm-to-table fare in a serene garden setting, head to Caoba Farms. Or, cozy up at the tiny yet charming Por Qué No? Café, where bold flavors and warm ambiance await. At cafes like 12 Onzas, Fat Cat Coffee House, and Artista del Café, you’ll sip arabica grown in the very valleys that surround the city.
A several-hour drive from Antigua—or a short helicopter hop from Villa Bokéh—delivered me to Casa Palopó, Bokéh’s sister property on Lake Atitlán, and my final stop. Where Bokéh is subtle and serene, Palopó bursts with bold color—fuchsia walls, cobalt tiles, and vibrant textiles in every room. Every piece of furniture and artwork is locally made, and each room offers a stunning view of the sapphire-blue crater lake ringed by volcanoes.
From Palopó, I visited the nearby village of Santa Catarina Palopó, where homes are vibrantly hand-painted in traditional motifs, a project spearheaded by Grupo Alto to beautify the town. There, a hidden treasure awaited: Velas Sajvin, a sculptural candle workshop founded by three sisters. In a town where few women work outside the home, they’ve carved a path through artistry. Their tall, twisted candles—graceful columns in every shade—feel more like art than objects. Just a few colorful doors down, Katy Jay Concept Store—Jay’s first retail venture—elegantly showcases artisan-made goods from across Guatemala. The selection ranges from Antigua and Atitlán to the forests of Petén: handwoven straw bags, intricately carved woodwork, and sculptural ceramics.
In a world increasingly shaped by fast fashion and fleeting trends, Guatemala’s textile traditions offer something rare and enduring: intimacy, integrity, ingenuity. As Berry said so simply, “If you care about handmade things, you care about food and where it comes from, the environment, the people. Most of the people who come on our trips aren’t textile experts—they’re just open and curious. In the end, it’s about understanding Guatemala and the richness of Maya culture. Textiles are the thread that ties it all together.”
