Mayan Influence on Jute and Jackfruit’s Nahui Ollin Handbags and Hand-beaded Jewelry

Last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Belize, home to one the oldest and most beautiful (in my opinion) ancient Maya civilizations: Xunantunich.

At Jute & Jackfruit, we are currently carrying two lines of products that are made by Mayan men and women: one from Mexico and the other from Guatemala (and may carry more in the future!). Our Nahui Ollin handbag collection (see example purple bag below) for example is made by Mayan men and women in Mexico using traditional weaving techniques. In addition, our beautiful, handcrafted beaded jewelry is made from Mayan women in Guatemala (where the largest number of Maya reside today).

Nahui Ollin Purple Grand Ball Handbag ($90)

Turquoise and gold beaded necklace from Guatemala ($54)

Along these lines, we here at Jute & Jackfruit are very interested in understanding and appreciating local cultural and artistic traditions around the world. Artisan works by Maya in parts of Central America are a great example.

Present-day Maya and descendants of Mayan people live primarily in several regions of Latin America– Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. This area is also formerly known as “Mesoamerica” and the earliest evidence of Mayan civilization dates back to the 10th Century BC, or 1800 BCE (close to 4,000 years ago).

Walking through the Xunantunich site in Belize

The Maya have a fascinatingly rich history of art, culture and society and we are proud to carry products that are made by modern-day Maya incorporating aspects of their cultural and artistic heritage.

If you have an opportunity to visit Xunantunich, I recommend going on a day when no cruise ships are in town, nor many other travelers– if at all possible. While I did not plan this purposefully, it turned out to be the case, and made it all the more sensational. Under such conditions, if you do, walk through the famous Maya “plaza” (featured above), shout softly, and then listen to your words, you may hear them echo to nearly every corner of the compound. The Maya were insightful acoustical planners!

Go with a guide and you will hear stories about the “ins” and “outs” of the ancient civilization in which complex ritual ceremonies, impressive astronomically-aligned architecture and the occasional “deathly” game of ball all played a role.

Of particular interest is the fact that the Maya appear to have been deeply concerned with astrology and incorporated this interest into their calendrical data and an intricate, mathematical discipline. They were one of the first to come up with “zero” as a numbering tool for their mathematical system. In addition, their architectural building alignments provide documentation of a number of Maya astronomical skills. For example, certain structural corners perfectly align with the sun at summer and winter solstice.

The Maya left so many advances and contributions in culture and language all across Mesoamerica that their influence continues to live on today through the millions of Maya that live across the modern-day Mesoamerican region. Not to be confused as one group however, due to the many languages and cultural distinctions that exist across the group, there are differences too in their level of integration with the modern cultures of the nations in which they reside.

For example, beading, pottery making, painting, weaving, embroidery and wood and stone carving are some of the modern-day art forms that continue to flourish among descendants of Maya. In Belize, I had the pleasure of seeing examples of the beading, weaving and carving. The beaded work available in Belize is not unlike the work done in Guatemala, which is featured here at Jute & Jackfruit. The weaving technique used for the Nahui Ollin bags is also based on Mayan traditions. For a video on this process, see this youtube video.

Take a close look at our Maya products: Guatemalan beaded work and our Nahui Ollin handbags. Each item is unique, hand crafted and in the case of the handbags, also eco-friendly. Each make a wonderful gift items and you can also feel good about your contribution to the environment and to empowering communities worldwide, while looking fabulous in the process!