The Women’s Center will be a place where women can work, think, be together – it’s not just a meeting hall or a meeting place.  Women will feel comfortable here; this is their place, just for them.   – Andres Chajil

The Woman in Maya:
Traditionally, the Maya culture is a matriarchal society giving great significance to the role of the woman, especially as mother, processor of food, and keeper of the culture.  She performs the sacred task of making corn in to tortillas, a symbol of life and principle food of the Maya. In the creation story, Popol Vuh, the first humans were formed from masa (dough) made of corn ground at Grandmother God’s grinding stone.

The Maya Woman Today:
Today, Maya women throughout Guatemala have retained this role, primarily working in the home to process the foods the men have cultivated.  In their care for their children and the home, the role of the Maya woman is crucial in bestowing the culture to the next generation; the language, customs, beliefs, traditional foods and wares. 

Within the culture, there is a deep admiration and respect attributed to the household work of the Maya woman.  The esteem for this household work derives from the difficult conditions in which Maya women must prepare foods, often cooking over intense heat and smoke from the fire

Maya Women have little opportunity for social interaction outside of the home, as much of their time is spent sustaining the household.  Many times, the only occasions for contact outside of the family circle happen when they go to market, to church, to grind their corn at the mill or if they go the lake to launder the family’s clothes.

The Women’s Center:
Born of appreciation and respect for the role of the woman in Maya culture and recognizing a need for her to relate socially with other women in daily life, the idea for a center for women was conceived. As many Maya women are often isolated in their work, consensus was formed to provide a space where women could come together to participate in their various tasks of the day, fulfilling them collectively, and sharing ideas, laughter and even a bit of town gossip.

The grounds of the Women’s Center are both aesthetically pleasing and practical, surrounded by a fruit orchard on one side, vegetable gardens on the other and medicinal plant and floral rock gardens throughout the many acres on which is it situated. There are benches and paths throughout the grounds encouraging wandering meditation and appreciation of the beauty of nature.   

Kitchen:
The variations of fruit, vegetables, and medicinal plants will be employed in both old and new ways, creating a haven in which women can pass on traditional foods and remedies and have the space to be creative and learn new ways of preparing foods. 

To facilitate this creativity, the Women’s Center will be equipped with a fully functioning kitchen with large stoves with ovens, refrigerators, and all of the necessary accessories. 

Here the women may learn to make cakes, breads, and jellies with the fruit that surrounds them, while also having at their fingertips everything they need to process foods in the traditional ways – maybe getting a hint here or there from a compañera and sharing their own ideas with other women.

Washing:
While they are in the kitchen thinking of delicious things to make and talking about the concerns of raising their children, their laundry could be washing in one of the circa 1952 Maytag washing machines that are installed in the large wash room.  These washers will not only help save time, but also conserve water. 

For those who prefer the traditional approach to washing, there is a large communal pila (wash basin) situated between rocks, flowers and trees, over looking the Women’s center.  This communal pila retains the communal atmosphere of washing at the lake while providing a safer disposal of bleaches and detergents.  

Communal Living Room:
To give time and space to conversation and togetherness the Women’s Center has a large sala, or living room, where the women can be in fellowship with one another.  This room has ample space to be used as its inhabitants see fit; for small gatherings of two or three or larger meetings and events. 

All of the furniture in the sala, will be the work of local carpenters and craftsmen, providing local men from the Parish work program the opportunity to showcase their workmanship. Having moved out of corn-stalk homes and into cement block homes throughout the past decades, the sala can expose women to different ways of creatively furnishing their homes.

Learning Space:
The true nature of the women’s center is to promote the continuation of the Maya culture. In addition to giving the women an area to complete their daily tasks, the Women’s Center will provide for cultural and personal enrichment through a variety of activities.

The opportunity to learn to read and write in an informal, non-threatening setting, along with the opportunity for younger women to learn traditional weaving techniques and language, will hopefully, gradually, provide a space for women to embrace their culture and their vocation.