| Our lovely terracotta pieces are made from the riverbed clay of the Chenautla area of Guatemala. Families sculpt each piece by hand, dry it in the sun, paint it with a red clay slip, polish it, and then finally fire it. The firing process involves placing the objects on a grate above a pine bark fire with a covering of grass for 2-3 hours. The occasional unique black spot can sometimes be found on the piece and is a tribute to this ancient firing process.The candles are made by Q'eqchi women in the workshops of Proyecto Eco Quetzal, a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing environmental and social issues in rural Guatemala. The candles are made from the seed of the Arrayan tree, a native of the cloud forests of Guatemala. The waxy seeds provide a natural alternative to synthetic candle making products. The seeds are collected and heated into wax by indigenous Mayan Q'eqchi women. This activity provides their families with an alternative source of income to support their subsitence farming. The income is also good for the cloud forest. With outside income they are less inclined to slash and burn the forest to grow crops. |
