At Mayan Dreams, our blog is where we share inspiring stories, helpful tips, and authentic knowledge about hammocks, Guatemala, and Mayan handicrafts. Some information is also available on the Tips and tricks , and Types of hammocks pages of our site.
In our Blog, you’ll mainly find and discover:
A.) Practical Advices on choosing, using, and caring for your hammock.
B.) Insights into the traditional Mayan craftsmanship history, innovations and skills.
C.) Lifestyle Inspiration around relaxation, bohemian living.
We believe in supporting quality, handcrafted products that carry meaning, culture, and sustainability — standing proudly against mass production and imitations. This space is also open for your voices and collaborations, as we sincerely aim to grow a community that values authenticity and conscious living.
Thank you for this very interesting question. Hammock making in Guatemala is part of a much broader Mesoamerican tradition that…
How does the combination of traditional craftsmanship and comfort make hammocks suitable for everyday use in Swiss homes and outdoor…
How do Mayan artisans in Guatemala preserve traditional hammock-making techniques, and what materials or weaving methods make their craftsmanship distinctive?…
How does the blog plan to provide information about Guatemala and Mayan handicrafts? regard
Dear Windy
We would like to share more about the evolution of the traditions and techniques used by our partner craftsman.
There are many interesting social, historical and political facts related to the production in the two very distinct regions of Guatemala we source our products – Escuintla / Sololà. As we work with independents craftsman which are trusted partners, we want to produce more content to demonstrate the authenticity and the quality of original handicraft. We are also planing to employ local Marketing staff to help us share and create content.
The situation evolves quickly, we’re celebrating a few achievements, like locally produced cotton bags containing traditional Mayan fabric, and come across new challenges every year.
Kind Regards
Fred – Mayan Dreams
How do Mayan artisans in Guatemala preserve traditional hammock-making techniques, and what materials or weaving methods make their craftsmanship distinctive? How does supporting handmade hammocks contribute to local artisans’ livelihoods and the preservation of Mayan cultural heritage? Thank you and regards, asya
Thank you for this very interesting question.
Hammock making in Guatemala is part of a much broader Mesoamerican tradition that has evolved over generations. Historically, hammocks in this region were made using locally available plant fibres, including fibres similar to sisal or henequen. Today, cotton and modern fibres are more common, but many of the techniques and gestures used by artisans remain deeply rooted in traditional craftsmanship.
At Mayan Dreams, we mainly work with two very different hammock-making traditions.
On the Pacific side of Guatemala, our artisan partners make net hammocks using a double-thread mesh technique closely related to the traditional Yucatán-style hammock. The particular arrangement of the threads, knots and stitches creates a flexible mesh that distributes body weight over a very large surface.
In the Guatemalan Highlands, other artisans work on traditional wooden looms. These hammocks are woven as textiles rather than as nets, using techniques that are closely connected with the region’s long weaving tradition. Colours, thread combinations and weaving patterns can vary from one community or artisan to another.
We explain these different techniques in more detail on our page about Guatemalan handicrafts and in several related articles:
https://mayan-dreams.ch/types-of-handicrafts/
Supporting this craftsmanship and bringing it online is important for another reason. Handmade hammocks increasingly compete with industrial products that are often inspired by traditional designs but can be produced and sold at much lower prices. At the same time, it has become difficult for small independent artisans to gain visibility on large online marketplaces.
From our own experience in Guatemala, we have also seen how uncertain the situation can be for craftspeople. Tourism demand declined sharply during the COVID period, and some artisans told us that customers were becoming less able to recognize the authentic quality of artisanal products.
Unfortunately, certain traditional skills are already becoming less common. Some older methods of preparing and coloring textile fibers, for example, are slowly fading. Tradition is never completely static — techniques, colours and materials naturally evolve — but without sufficient demand and protection, knowledge and cultural heritage can disappear.
For us, fair trade therefore means more than simply purchasing a product. We try to pay prices that properly recognise the artisan’s work and to build long-term relationships rather than constantly searching for the cheapest supplier.
In some cases this relationship goes further. We have, for example, helped a long-term artisan partner create a small officially registered company as well as obtain the funds needed to invest in his land and supported him in developing his activity more independently. Our objective is not to make artisans dependent on Mayan Dreams, but rather the opposite: to help create conditions in which their craftsmanship can be valorized and provide a sustainable livelihood of their own.
Every handmade hammock that finds a customer therefore supports not only an individual artisan and their family, but also the continuation and evolution of a remarkable craft tradition.
Thank you again for raising the question.