Our Commitment to Fair Trade

Phd Productions works with Mayan women who are indigenous weavers in the highlands of Guatemala. Part of our mission is to support these local women, their weaving groups, and small family businesses, by providing consistent, fair income. The Phds produced by these women are made by crocheting, an ancient traditional craft which women can do at home while caring for their families. Today, despite government decrees that guarantee equal rights for Indians, indigenous peoples like the Maya remain at the bottom rung of the political and economic ladder. In Guatemala more than half of the total population is poor, but almost three-quarters of the six million strong indigenous population is poor.

In these conditions, many Maya have seized on their old ways to make sense of modern life. In the remote highlands of Guatemala where the rugged terrain has held the outside world at bay, contemporary Maya still practice many of the same crafts that were performed by their ancestors 4,000 years ago. Each village and region is identifiable for its own weaving design and colors. Techniques and designs are passed from mother to daughter. Maya weavers embroider their wares with diamond motifs that are virtually identical to the cosmological patterns depicted on ancient Mayan temples. By crocheting the symbols of their ancestors, the Maya artisans build a material link to pre-Columbian life--and the indelible spirit of their cultural past.

In addition to working with the native artisans of Guatemala, Phd Productions has reached out to fair trade partners in India and Ecuador. These artisans, also working in fair trade conditions, provide diverse local flavor to those designs from the Mayans of Guatemala.