During the month of January, Noa Lehingue, Franco-Mexican and Microprojects project manager for La Guilde, flew to Mexico where she had the opportunity to explore two projects supported by our association. This first foray of La Guilde into the land of mariachis was marked by a diversity of activities, at the heart of which: meetings and discoveries inspiring.
This lovely journey began in the mountains of Chiapas, more precisely in San Cristobal de Las Casas, where Noa met Ana Gonzalez, head of the Mexican association El Camino de Los Atlos (ECLA). Made up exclusively of women, this partner association works to emancipate women from five indigenous communities, from which most of these employees originate and are therefore bilingual in Tsotsil or Tseltal, which promotes links with women weavers.
In 2019, the Guild financed the construction of a screen printing workshop in Zinacantan, allowing women, especially the most isolated, to develop their skills in textiles, vegetable dyeing, embroidery, screen printing and sewing. To date, more than 150 artisan women benefit from ECLA projects. Noa also visited the boutique where these unique and artisanal pieces are sold, which you can take a look at yourself: https://elcaminodelosaltos.com/.
In Yacolbà, in the heart of the Yucatan peninsula, is the Ta Naayta association, partner of the French association Arutam. After meeting the president of the association Juan Chan, Noa visited the project – co-financed by La Guilde in 2020 – intended to regenerate the traditional Mayan peasant fabric and strengthen food security in the face of climatic challenges and mass tourism in these areas. indigenous lands. This initiative enabled the diversification of crops, notably fruit trees and aromatic plants, as well as the installation of an irrigation system powered by solar panels on a plot of approximately one hectare.
Like these plantations, this project bore fruit and more than its initial ambitions with extensions such as the planting of watermelons and lemon trees but also the multiplication of hives of endemic Melipone bees received by five mothers, going from a single apiary to thirteen over two years. These completely harmless bees produce honey with great medicinal properties and are perfectly suited to the patio of the Mayan household. These women also received training in the breeding of these bees as well as in the processing and use of honey in order to improve its sale in various forms.
These two projects illustrate the virtuous impact of the initiatives supported by La Guilde in Mexico, contributing to better inclusion of Mayan women and the preservation of traditional practices in contexts that are often difficult and precarious.
