Photo Credit: Scott Tsuchitani
Maria Vicente Jimenez
Maya Mam weaving
Maria Vicente Jimenez is an Indigenous Maya Mam woman, a master backstrap loom weaver, and a mother of two sons. She was born in San Juan Atitán and grew up in Santiago Chimaltenango, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
In 2017, Maria migrated to Oakland, California, where she has continued to practice the art of weaving in collaboration with NAKA Dance Theater. She currently works at Oakland Promise to promote access to higher education for the community. Maria is deeply committed to ensuring that the Mam community has equitable access to information, resources, and services. She is Facilitator of Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam, a traditional weaving group that promotes transformation and healing, and strengthens the leadership of Maya Mam women. Maria expresses her deep gratitude to ACTA and those who support the vitality and continuity of the traditional artistic practices of her community.
Living Cultures
2026
Entre Hilos de Colores, Sanan mis Dolores [Through threads of color, my pain is healed]
Maria Vicente Jimenez will lead a year of weekly Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam weaving circle meetings in Oakland, bringing together Indigenous Maya Mam women to practice and preserve traditional backstrap loom weaving from their home communities in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, culminating in a Mam cultural celebration and exhibition, August 2027.
