“Our biggest wish is to be accepted because we’re always looked down upon, and that is something we greatly suffer from,” Rosalia comments. “For example, if you go to hospital and you’re an indigenous woman, they might not even look at you or they might ask you to wait. A Ladina woman (one whose mother tongue is Spanish and who possesses Hispanic cultural traits) comes in at the same time and they take her straight in”. So exclusion takes on many forms and can be seen in various areas. “In the political space you can see it too. How many indigenous women sit in Congress? None. That says it all!” she adds.
Weaving cooperatives such as Teixchel are helping Mayan women address these issues by giving them the space to express their identity and most importantly speak their mind. “Here we can debate and share stories while we work with our art. In most spaces we’re not allowed to give our opinion but here we’re encouraged to express ourselves. It’s a form of recognition,” Rosalia points out.
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