The belt loom

During the pre-Colombian period the belt loom, also known as stick loom, was used by the most advanced tribes of the American continent. We can find illustrations of women weaving according the Maya and Aztec codification. At that time, that loom was considered as a royal art and the splendid and elegant designs were used as decoration. We can notify it on a few pre-Hispanic monuments, painting and statues.

The creation of fabric with the belt loom was the work of women par excellence. In all pre-Hispanic cultures of Meso America appears a goddess, saint of the weavers who protect them; in return those ones should constantly worship to gain favors from their protector.

he hand loom

At the pre-Colombian period the belt loom was an indigenous technique used to weave, a task made by women. The hands loom or treadle loom, was introduced in America by Spanish people during colonization. That is why it is considered as a traditional technique. At the opposite, this task was reserved to men.

The hands loom is an traditional machine quite complex which was developed and improved with the passing of time. The complexity of this loom requires a good understanding of basic principals of weaving as well as the technique of other traditional looms in order to understand the functioning.

This loom is made of a structure with beams from which other components are added. The artisan sits in front of it to be able to handle the fabric through the treadles. The design of the fabric is made through the rhythmic movement of the feet on the treadles.

A dignified work for artisans

We commit ourselves to give a dignified work to artisans who work with the school, regarding their working conditions and their salary. They all have been trained by the school and they live in the municipalities of Santo Tomas y Santiago Texacuango in the department of San Salvador and San Juan Tepezonted in the department of La Paz .

Origin of the strands

We import our strands from Guatemala . They are 100% cotton, ecologic, free from AZO and carcinogenic strand.

Our new products are tinted with natural coloring

The colorants mainly come from El Salvador but also Guatemala and Mexico . Respecting the philosophy and the tradition of our ancestors we preserve the environment. In order to do so the pieces of wood used to make dyes come from the waste produced by carpenters.

The natural colorants offer a very complete palette of colors:

Red – Blue – Yellow – Black – Brown – Violet – Green – Orange