Explore upcoming and featured Threads Afar travel experiences.
Guatemala Embroidery Workshop, February 6-13, 2027
Description
Our workshop tour is based in Panajachel on Lake Atitlán, in the Guatemalan Highlands, near the administrative center of Sololá. At 5,200 feet high, the lake offers stunning views of the surrounding volcanoes and is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The area is predominantly Maya, and most residents retain their indigenous traditions in small villages surrounding the lake, accessible only by small motor-powered boats. In Pana, you can enjoy yoga sessions, massage and spa treatments, and abundant textile shopping on your own.
We are partnering with Multicolores, a well-respected NGO that supports Guatemalan women to achieve artistic and economic success. They are more than a weaving and textile cooperative. They are dedicated to creating an emotionally, financially, socially, and environmentally supportive future for well-being and sustainability. Empowerment and personal well-being are essential here. It was founded in 2014 and has participated in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, representing Guatemala since its founding. IFAM is credited with helping launch Multicolores as a successful supporter of Maya women and families.
You will be paired one-on-one with one of Multicolores’ master artisan embroiderers to learn embroidery stitches or restart your needle and thread practice. Each participant will embroider their own personal Nahual. This is a traditional Mayan spirit animal. Each nahual is commonly linked to an animal (such as a jaguar, monkey, or serpent) that represents a person’s inner strengths, weaknesses, and traits. After you register, we will ask you for your birth month, day, and year to identify your Nahual.
Itinerary
Saturday, February 6: Arrive from Guatemala City airport and travel to Antigua (about 1.5 hours), and check in to our hotel. Dinner on your own. Transportation from Guatemala City airport to Antigua is on your own. Overnight in Antigua.
Sunday, February 7: After breakfast, you’ll have the opportunity to meander through this 16th-century Colonial city on your own. Then, we will meet and travel by van in mid-afternoon to Lake Panajachel to our workshop tour hotel on the lake, Hotel Porta del Lago. Meet for a no-host dinner.
Monday, February 8, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: All-day embroidery workshop at the Multicolores studio space. Breakfast on your own. Lunch is included. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Porta del Lago.
Tuesday, February 9, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: All-day embroidery workshop at the Multicolores studio space. Breakfast on your own. Lunch is included. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Porta del Lago.
Wednesday, February 10, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: All-day embroidery workshop at the Multicolores studio space. Breakfast on your own. Lunch is included. Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel Porta del Lago.
Thursday, February 11, 9:00 a.m.: We will take an early boat across Lake Atitlan to Santiago Atitlan to meet with a group of embroidery artisans that Multicolores works with. They create colorful birds, flora, and fauna, and we will see a demonstration of their techniques and have time to understand how Maya women live and work in villages along the lake. We’ll have an opportunity to explore the town, visit the street markets and shops, then return to Panajachel in time for lunch. Afternoon and dinner on your own.
Friday, February 12, starting at 8:00 a.m.: After an early breakfast, we will go to the Bomberos (Fire Station) Flea Market, which is held every week across the street from Multicolores. We’ve allotted two hours for you to meander. This is a special event because weavers and their representatives come to sell new and vintage textiles from villages near and far. These include indigo, ikat, embroidery, ready-made and vintage garments, fabric scraps, and lengths. Perfect for collectors, sewers and embroiderers! Then, at 10:00 a.m., we will meet at Multicolores to travel to a local rug-hooking group for a hands-on demonstration. The group will present a traditional folkloric dance, and we will try our hand at making homemade tortillas. Breakfast on your own. Grand Finale lunch is included. After lunch, we will board the van to return to Antigua. Dinner on your own. Overnight in Antigua at Ciel Luxe Hotel.
Saturday, February 13: Depart for Guatemala City on your own to connect with flights that return home.
Pricing
All-Inclusive Workshop Tour includes one night’s lodging in Antigua at the Hotel Don Rodrigo before the workshop starts, and one night in Antigua after the workshop ends at Hotel Ciel Luxe. During our five-night stay in Panajachel, we will be at Hotel Porta del Lago. Also included is van transportation to and from Antigua to Pana, lunches in Pana, workshop instruction and materials, transportation, and visits to villages.
$3,995 for a single room. $3,595 for a shared room (you arrange your own roommate). Shared rooms are limited!
A $500 non-refundable registration fee will secure your space. Please email Norma Schafer norma@threadsafar.com to let her know you are ready to register. She is taking workshop tour registrations and will send a registration form. Deposits to reserve your space can be made with a Zelle transfer, Venmo, PayPal (sending to friends and family), or we can send you a Square invoice that can be paid with a credit card (+4%).
What is NOT included: Airfares, meals not included in the itinerary, alcohol, tips, and other discretionary items are at your own expense.
You may choose to arrive earlier or stay later at your own expense.
What IS REQUIRED: $50,000 of medical evacuation insurance is required to participate, no exceptions. We strongly recommend a complete travel insurance policy that includes this. We ask that you be up to date on COVID, influenza, and RSV vaccines. No other special vaccines are necessary.
