The Huipil
that I found in a pile of gorgeous fabrics at the Nimpot Market in Guatemala.
My favorite [and usually first] thing I do when I arrive in a new place is make a detailed list. This list outlines how I will best experience as much of the local shopping as humanly possible. I absolutely love the feeling of acquiring a new item that has a story, and this is amplified when I find said item in a foreign country. It is very important to support independent makers and shops in my books—perhaps because I am an entrepreneur myself. Making a point to spend my money in these local places over recognized brands packs a much stronger punch in supporting an ecosystem that I care about. This is my philosophy to spending not only while traveling, but also, at home.
Whenever I visit a new place, I always dream about what would be the coolest item(s) to return home with. When I visited Colombia, my mission was to find a pair of statement earrings, thanks to the ever-stylish Katalina Mayorga—founder of El Camino Travel, who always has a pair of beautiful Colombian-designed earrings adorning her looks, and when I visited Oahu, the goal was to fall in love with a vintage aloha shirt. For my first visit to Guatemala, I was most excited to haul a suitcase full of interesting wovens and textiles back home to the states.
I spent my time in Guatemala with a friend of mine, Erika. We spent most of our days weaving our way in and out of little shops, buying cotton napkins delicately embroidered with intricate designs, loaves of banana bread, and spoons made from wood and shells. We enjoyed batidos and good chocolate, and lots of coffees. I found a marquis-cut jade ring set on a silver band, and bought it to bring good luck to my energy field. We traveled out to Lago de Atitlán, and took a boat to the village of San Juan La Laguna to learn about traditional weaving and dyeing techniques. I was mesmerized by the aluminum pots filled with liquid moving at a rolling boil in tantalizing shades, and colorful yarns hanging to dry from lines cast across the ceiling of the shop. I bought a table runner to use as a wrap, and as I tossed the end of the maroon and yellow fabric across my shoulder, the women giggled, explaining to me that it was, indeed, not a scarf. I struggled to find the words to express my desire for ironic fashion in broken Spanish as I paid for it, fully in love with my new piece.
When we finally made it back to Antigua, we visited Nim Po’t, a handcraft shop the size of a small warehouse in the middle of town. The building is dark, with soaring ceilings and concrete, dusty floors. To the right of us, as we entered, was a large pile of fabrics in every color and texture we could imagine. In front of us were aisles upon aisles of hand-painted animals and suns, pottery, beaded jewelry, and clothing. I spent the good first half of an hour wandering through Nim Po’t, making sure to inspect every surface and nook, picking up items and envisioning what they’d look like in the context of my spaces back home. After some time, I joined Erika and a group of people digging through the pile of fabrics. Peeking out from the middle of the pile was a black, canvas-y material with beautiful floral embroidery. I grabbed the huipil, holding it up to the stream of sunlight coming in from the front archway. In the same moment, Erika came over to show me another huipil that she had found. They were hilariously similar, and both so, so beautiful. The fabric was substantial, and had a delicious sun-worn vibe. I was already envisioning wearing this huipil with my mom jeans and a chunky sandal. We went up front to pay for our bounty.
It was our last night in our hotel, and we tried on each other’s huipils, and ate chicharrones in bed. We had a hilarious and humiliating night of taking turns standing on each other’s duffel bags in attempt to zip them shut with all of our acquired textiles and pottery. Sweat beaded off our foreheads and we rolled around in belly laughter. Then we went to the spa for a nighttime massage.
To this day, whenever I pull out my huipil, I am brought back to these memories of my first trip to Guatemala. Maybe one day I will have the chance to return.