VALERIA TOTE BAG
DESCRIPTION
UNIQUENESS – HANDMADE
Each of Mayella’s products is beautifully unique. We are proud that no piece will be exactly the same as another, since they are all handmade. A product that is not factory fabricated, that has human touch and is special, a real masterpiece! Please be aware that some of our products may have natural markings and imperfections, which should not be considered a fault. These imperfections make the piece special and a human art, they are appreciated.
ETHICAL IMPACT
We support the Guatemalan community with purchasing their beautiful handmade textiles for fair prices from the weavers on the local markets. It is very important to us that the they are paid fairly for their hard work. That’s why the artisans themselves set their price. We are giving you - the consumer - the opportunity to show social responsibility by shopping in Ethical Stores like Mayalla. Read more here.
SUSTAINABILITY
We have sustainably sourced all our textiles from our local weavers in Guatemala on the markets in Chichicastenango, Antigua and Panajachel.
EMBRACING CULTURES
We want to show the world the rich Guatemalan culture by sharing its indigenous handcrafted fabrics and traditions with the world. And explaining the meanings of their traditional textiles and other ancient traditions. Many people have never heard of Guatemala, so we see it as our challenge to change that!
Please note that due to different color settings on the device displays, the color of the leather and textile that you receive may not exactly match what you see on your screen. However, we try our best to provide accurate photos of our products that closely match their actual color.
DETAILS
- Handmade
- Made in Guatemala
- Light brown full grain leather (Each bag varies slightly in texture and color)
- 100% handwoven vintage cotton fabric body (There may be color variations)
- Two handles
- Top zip closure, YKK Zippers
- One inner pocket with zip closure
- Two inner pockets, open
- Golden Metal hardware
GIFT
- Signature leather pom pom (in color of the bag)
- Beige textile cover bag
- Handwoven textile card
- Handmade doll
- Description & meaning of textile
TEXTILE
The textile of this bag is called “huipil” meaning blouse and comes from the Guatemalan village Nebaj. It is woven in 1 – 4 months’ time by hand on a backstrap loom, using mercerized silk and cotton. It is woven with extreme attention to detail, having geometric brocade embroidery covering almost the entire textile. The wearing of this traditional costume is the norm in this small town. It can easily cost them a 2 months’ salary. Its geometric brocade embroidery has human characteristics, animal forms and attributes of plants.
Santa Maria Nebaj is a small Mayan village in the department Quiche in the heart of Guatemala. The traditional Nebaj dress is probably the most dramatic of all Guatemalan dresses. Green is usually the predominant color; most pieces however contain many different colors. The symbols of the embroidery represent the legend of “a princess who fell in love with a young man of lower social class. Her father, the king, didn’t like that his daughter wanted to be with him and disapproved of the relationship. That is why the king was looking for a way to split them up, so he spied on them. One of his spies was a bird, that wanted to help the young love and told the couple about the king’s plan to separate them. Thus, he became their Nahual - For the Maya a nahual is a spirit/ energy/ force that accompanies each person/ animals/ other elements of nature. They are symbols, that create a balance by linking people with the ecosystem. The princess, her lover and the bird fled all together from the rage of the King on a donkey. That is why. the donkey and the bird are represented on almost all the traditional textiles (huipils) from this region.
MEASUREMENTS
H: 28 cm - 11 in
W: 41 cm - 16 in
D: 15 cm - 5.9 in
SHIPPING
Free Shipping to the USA to orders over $100 and Free Shipping to the rest of the world in orders over $250.Learn more here.
