Safeguarding Yucatán Embroidery: The New Plan to Preserve a Time-Honored Tradition
In a ceremony held at the Museo del Mundo Maya, embroiderers and UNESCO presented a plan to safeguard Yucatán embroidery, an initiative aimed at preserving Maya cultural heritage.
“The Safeguarding Plan aligns with the 2003 UNESCO convention mandating the protection of cultural manifestations. It outlines 10 protection measures and strategies to ensure the safeguarding of this embroidery tradition,” said Cinthia Santoyo, a collaborator with UNESCO’s Culture Sector in Mexico, explaining the plan’s significance.
These measures include empowering embroiderers to teach their techniques in educational institutions with the support of relevant authorities. Santoyo emphasized that the embroiderers themselves are at the heart of the project. This event marked the conclusion of the first phase, a year-long effort involving awareness workshops on intangible cultural heritage.
Forty-three women representing over 12 municipalities were honored for their participation in UNESCO workshops focused on business models, financial education, and even new masculinities to promote gender equality within their communities.
“Yucatecan textile art and embroidery are not merely economic activities but also a reclamation of cultural identity,” Santoyo remarked.
Diagnostic workshops
With support from the Banamex Foundation, UNESCO identified groups of embroiderers and conducted diagnostic workshops to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing their craft.
“Based on this participatory diagnosis, we created training programs for embroiderers on international frameworks that protect intangible cultural heritage, in this case, Yucatecan Mayan embroidery,” Santoyo explained.
Workshops on education and business models helped embroiderers calculate production costs and establish fair trade practices.
“We aim to address structural issues like intermediaries and bargaining that threaten the development of textile art,” Santoyo added.
While the first stage has concluded, UNESCO’s collaboration with these women is far from over. The second stage will involve engaging relevant authorities and institutions to further protect Yucatán embroidery.
The Yucatán Embroidery Safeguarding Plan initiative has spanned 12 municipalities, including Abalá, Dzan, Hoctún, Izamal, Maní, Muna, Tekit, Tekax, Teabo, and Valladolid. It has garnered support from the Yucatecan Institute of Entrepreneurs (Iyem), Sedeculta, the Women’s Secretariat (Semujeres), and the Museum of Ethnic Clothing of Mexico (MUREM) in Valladolid.
