KWABLA has entered into partnerships with artisans of the Cakchiquel indigenous culture from Guatemala. Click To browse KWABLA's catalogue of goods or listing of artisans from the Cakchiquel culture, click on the icons at the bottom of the page. Cakchiquel are a group of indigenous people of Mayan descent, native to the province of Sololá and the midwestern highlands of Guatemala. They subsist agriculturally, and their culture reflects a fusion of Mayan and Spanish influences. Cakchiquel is also the name of their language. The Cakchiquel were one of several Mayan kingdoms conquered by Pedro de Alvarado in the 1520s. At that time, they were the enemies of the Quiché, another Mayan kingdom. The Cakchiquel language is a member of the Quichean-Mamean branch of the Mayan language family. It is spoken by the Cakchiquel people in central Guatemala. It closely related to Quiché and Tz'utujil. The province of Sololá is found in the western part of Guatemala and is one of the areas with the richest indigenous traditions. The present ethnical groups include Cakchiqueles, Quiches and Tzutuiles, who wear their traditional indigenous costumes with pride. These costumes are handmade and are one of the main attractions of the capital city of Sololá province, also named Sololá. The majority (approximately 90%) of the city's inhabitants are Cakchiquel Indians who proudly retain their heritage. It is one of the few municipalities where both men and women routinely wear their traditional Mayan dress. The city of Sololá was founded in 1541. Then the town was called "Tecpán Atitlán", later its name was changed by the Catholic Church to "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Sololá". Sololá City is located on Lake Atitlán which lies approximatly 90 miles from Guatemala City. A fantastic view is created by the three volcanoes of Toliman, Atitlán, and San Pedro, which surround the lake. The Cakchiquel people have lived in the mountains surrounding this lake for hundreds of years. In these same mountains today, the Cakchiquel Indians continue to create wonderful works of weaving and wood-carving. Based in a traditional indigenous culture, today these activities sustain many of the Cakchiquel families. To browse KWABLA's catalogue of goods or listing of artisans from the Cakchiquel indigenous culture of Guatemala, click on the icons below. Catalogue of Goods from the Cakchiquel Indigenous Culture Listing of Artisans from the Cakchiquel Indigenous Culture