Jacinta’s parents worked in agriculture; she was fortunate to complete high school and earn a diploma in accounting. As an adult, she and her husband moved to Guatemala City, but the higher cost of living there made it impossible to stay.
As an Indigenous Maya woman in the city, Jacinta experienced discrimination. At age 29 she was eventually forced to flee her hometown of Tecpán in the 1980s due to the civil war in Guatemala. She moved to Chimaltenango where she and her husband started her textile business.
The change she created
Jacinta joined our artisan program, Handmade by Friendship Bridge®, in 2015. Since then, she has raised five children and supported their education as a result of her business. Now, with multiple adult children and grandchildren living in her household, she has experienced many personal challenges over the years, and circumstances have not always gone as planned. However, through it all, she has been able to keep her business not only surviving, but actively thriving. Currently she employs five individuals, including her husband, adult son, and adult daughter. She is the producer of four of Handmade by Friendship Bridge’s bestselling products and remains a top-selling artisan in the program.
She maintains exceptional quality, great performance in delivery and she has adopted efficient practices to optimize her time and resources. I’ve also seen the volume of her production increase. From a marketing perspective, I can say she is a very special case: for the past five years, Jacinta’s handmade luggage tags have remained a constant bestseller.—Indira Maldonado, Communications, Public Relations, & Visual Design Coordinator
Jacinta’s strong work ethic sets an example for three generations of family as well as her community. As a result, she was invited to serve on Friendship Bridge’s Client Advisory Committee, which creates a forum for clients to share feedback, insights, and priorities directly with the organization.
Because of her ability to produce at a high capacity, she has had the opportunity to earn more income through recent special projects, including hand-sewn baby beanies for newborns at a Guatemala hospital, and large Mother’s Day product orders of gifts given to clients and staff.
Currently, she plans to purchase a new sewing machine and has set a larger goal to remodel her workshop.
Jacinta's work supports three generations.
When you shop Jacinta's handmade products, you create greater financial security for a Guatemalan woman while keeping Indigenous Maya artisan techniques alive.
