Editor：TNUANEWS / Date：2023-12-11
TNUA’s School of Cultural Resources held its fifth Brown Bag forum, “Mayan Weavers: Lessons from the Loom and Beyond,” on December 11, with Guatemala Ambassador Oscar Adolfo Padilla Lam sharing the stage with a graduate student Estefanía Izaguirre.
The Guatemala ambassador gave an introduction to the Mayan culture, while Estefanía Izaguirre, a second-year student of the International MA Program in Studies of Arts and Creative Industries (SAC), shared her experience of visiting San Juan La Laguna in southwest Guatemala where she had learned the art of weaving from the Maya indigenous people there during the summer break this year.
TNUA President Prof. Chen Kai-Huang, Dean of International Affairs Dr. Yatin Lin, Dean of the School of Cultural Resources Prof. Lin Cheng-Wei, and SAC Chairperson I-Wen Chang extended a warm welcome to the ambassador.
The ambassador said he was impressed by TNUA’s cross-cultural and cross-boundary education. He noted that Guatemala is a country with a long history and a rich culture. About 45% of the country’s population are from different Maya peoples, and the Mayan fabric is an art with thousands of years of history.
Weaving is not just a cultural identity for the Maya communities, but also an important economic activity for the women, he pointed out.
There was also a display of the clothing items and accessories that Estefanía Izaguirre had crafted during her stay in San Juan La Laguna.