Experience the Guatemalan Highlands with Rosario Vásquez
Salcajá is a small pueblo located five miles from Quetzaltenango (Xela). Salcajá is my home, and is famous as a center for weavers who create traditional wrap skirts worn by Mayan women (known as cortes). Salcajá is also the location of the first Catholic Church constructed in Central America (La Ermita de la Concepción).
I offer personal tours that focus on the jaspé weaving process, as well as other aspects of daily life and customs of the Guatemalan Highlands.
Tours
I am partnering with Maya Traditions Foundation to provide my tours. Please note that I personally lead all of tours, with help from an English/Spanish translator. I have many years of experience teaching Spanish to English speakers, and we always find a way to communicate and have fun.
Spanish Language Students
As a Spanish teacher for over twenty years, I know how important it is to practice your Spanish in real life situations. Join me as we explore pueblo life and customs - and make practice fun!
Salcajá is a short bus ride from Xela, and I guarantee you will return to Xela after one of my tours more confident in your ability to speak and understand Spanish.
Maya women use these textiles to make wrap-around skirts, known as cortes.
La Ermita de la Concepcion (La Conquistadora) is located in Salcajá, Guatemala. Built in 1524, it is the first Catholic Church in Central America.
Weavers work along the Salamá River, preparing the yarn.
Maya textiles at the Salcajá Market
Weavers in Salcajá use many different color threads to create beautiful textiles.
Dye house for textiles in Salcajá
Many people come to Salcaja to purchase threads to use in their weavings.
Weaver working in Salcajá, Guatemala
Weaving loom in Salcajá, Guatemala
What makes Salcajá special? Read what bestselling authors Deborah Chandler and Teresa Cordón say in their new book, Traditional Weavers of Guatemala: Their Stories, Their Lives (get a copy at Cloth Roads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers, as well as bookstores in Guatemala City, Antigua, and Panajachel, and hotels in Santiago Atitlán, and Chichicastenango).
Without a doubt, the jaspes of Salcajá are winners in terms of quantity. Sold all over the country, various regions have color preferences, and hotter places prefer double jaspé (jaspé in both warp and weft) because it’s a lighter-weight fabric. Within the Salcajá category, you can always find a new style to enjoy, as well as an infinite number of choices. Salcajá has more weaving supplies for sale than likely the entire rest of the country combined. Dozens of little stores are mixed in with a few big ones and one really big one.
