Luna Kakchiquel Store
In the spring of 2003 the village of San Marcos La Laguna kindly handed over the use of a small building situated in the main Plaza of the Village where we opened a small shop, or “Tienda”, managed by the Committee. This has made it possible for the women to display and sell the wonderful fabrics they make and some of the typical food products of Guatemala.
...women can display their craftworks local products, the native plants delicious orange juices typical food produce and more...
In February 2004, a palm roof (locally called Palapa) was built on the outside area adjacent to the Tienda so the women could make use of an open area protected from sun and rain where they could hold meetings along with other various activities and where the clients could have a sheltered area in which to enjoy the culinary produce sold in the Tienda.
Unfortunately, after only a few months of existence unknown villagers burnt down the “palapa”. This episode brought uneasiness within the Committee but it also strengthened the cooperation of the women who organized a village festival in order to collect funds for the rebuilding of the palapa and thanks also to the help of many others, the Committee was able to complete the construction of the new structure and reopen the business by the beginning of 2005.
This time it was for natural causes, after Hurricane Stan hit the community in October 2005, that the Committee had to again close the shop as it was submerged in mud. The women could not however open so quickly as the community as a whole was in need of hands to bring order back after the huge damage caused by the hurricane. Once the normal state of affairs settled in, the Mayor informed us that the Tienda would have to be replaced by a building they needed for the local secondary school. Finally, it was only in 2007 that we managed to obtain permission to reopen the Tienda.
At the moment, the Tienda “Luna Kakchiquel” is open and the women can display their craftworks, local products, the native plants they grow in the nursery, delicious orange juices, homemade marmalade, typical food produce and more…
