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| The Bead Weavers of Chonita, (Creaciones Chonita) is a small business that was founded in 1981 by Chonita Sojuel Mendosa, a Mayan woman who lost her husband during the government violence against the indigenous people and needed to support herself and her children. The company now employs 45 women full time and 35 women part time in Santiago, a town on the coast of Lake Atitlan. The company pays a fair wage and uses company profits to help the community, including food for elders and scholarships for children. Public school is not free in Guatemala and the illiteracy rate among the Mayan population in Guatemala is as high as 72% in some regions. The business has also purchased land for a school, which used to be outside and is now in rented rooms. The exquisite jewelry is made by women at home, where they can also take care of their families. Creaciones Chonita has high standards for their jewelry and use beads from Czechoslovakia, which are known by artisans to be the best in the world. |
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