"Pixan means spirit in Nahuatl. We believe that everything we do carries the spirit of a woman, the spirit of innovation and the spirit of fashion.”

FOUNDED BY
Guadalupe Ramirez
Pixan is the community brand of the Association of Women of the Highlands (Asociación de Mujeres del Altiplano AMA), which empowers indigenous Mayan women through women’s circles focusing on health, education, civic engagement and entrepreneurship.
ABOUT PIXAN
6 full-time employees & 170 artisans
LOCATION: Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
MATERIALS:
Colorful quality fabric inspired by local designs
TECHNIQUE: Weave the high-quality fabric from naturally dyed cotton threads on foot or backstrap looms.
IMPACT: Providing ethically compensated work for 170 Mayan artisan women across the highlands of Guatemala.

While Pixan seeks to create modern and innovative designs, these products never loose sight of their Mayan origins. Each product is inspired by and symbolic of Mayan cosmology. The larger diamonds illustrated on several fabrics represent the four corners of the world and the smaller diamonds contained within represent the sun.


DESIGN
FOOT LOOM WEAVING
Foot loom weaving is an ancestral weaving method that was originally only used by men since it requires a lot of strength. As Pixan believes that both men and women have the same capacity to do things, women were trained by a master foot loom weaver. Once they were fully capacitated, Pixan donated wooden foot looms to the women of the Mam & K'iche communities. The foot loom process is very complex: the weft goes over and under the warp back and forth, again and again to create the fabric while the pedals open and close the sheds by raising and lowering the harness. The wide varieties of fabric and patterns that weavers create are a result of knowledge that has been passed generations from generations.
BACKSTRAP LOOM WEAVING
Backstrap loom weaving is an ancient art practiced for centuries by Mayan artisans in Guatemala. This art has been passed generations to generations from mothers to daughters and today it is still used on a daily basis, in many parts of our country. This is a very special technique as the weaver's body is the most important part of the loom and the weaving. The back rod is tied to a tree or post while weaving and the other end has a strap that encircles the waist or backside and the weaver can move back or forward to produce the needed tension. The weaver usually spends 4 to 6 hours weaving, sitting on the ground on her knees and when they start getting older and want to keep weaving that position becomes a little bit uncomfortable and they have to use a small stool, but they still enjoy it and they put all their feelings and emotions into each piece of art that they make. It usually takes 3 weeks to 1 month to weave a 25 x 25 cm panel, while the time needed depends on the design and the size.

WE WORK WITH
Mayan artisan women
The women weave the high-quality fabric from naturally dyed cotton threads on foot or backstrap looms applying century old weaving techniques. In Guatemala, this ancient craft is used on a daily basis to create fabric for clothes and home textiles, but most importantly the traditional dress of the Mayan women - a huilpil.