Isla Mujeres – the Island of Women – historically has been used for retreat and healing rituals among the Mayan peoples because it powerfully evokes elemental life… rich, lush and alive.
Women Changing the World
Isla Mujeres Women’s Beading Cooperative
Our women’s circle has connected with a group of Mayan women who have created a small beading cooperative on Isla Mujeres, a tiny island off the Yucatan coast in Mexico. For many years, we have been bringing seed beads down to the cooperative when we journey to Isla Mujeres for our women’s retreat, Portals to the Self: A Women’s Circle by the Sea. We learned that the women support themselves and their children from the beading cooperative sales. They sell their crafts in a tiny shop up island.
We are now selling their beautiful jewelry to family and friends. The purchase of one small bracelet, handcrafted with traditional Mayan designs, provides the equivalent of four day’s wages for these women and their families. Most of the women are indigenous and speak Mayan and Spanish. Their children and grandchildren help them with written Spanish. With this income, the women purchase food, pay for housing and cover the school tuition for their children.
The Isla women are enormously appreciative of our efforts to help them be self-sufficient economically. We feel like our circle of women now extends to include these women as well. All profits (100%) go to the Isla women with 10% of their earnings going to the beading cooperative to purchase more supplies. When we started this collaboration, there were 8 women in the beading cooperative. There are now over 57 women who are actively beading and selling their jewelry!
As each woman from our retreat returns to her community, a web of wisdom and activism begins to change our world. When women clarify what they stand for and whom they are willing to stand up for, everything and anything becomes possible. Our two circles are interwoven – right mindedness in action. We are all enriched on this Island of Women.
If you would like to donate seed beads, please contact us at info@islawomensretreat.com. Our heartfelt thanks to you for helping to support our amigas…the women of Isla Mujeres and their beading cooperative.
Many thanks,
Kelly, Karen, Ceci, Elaine, Peggy, Marcela, Rocio, Cecilia, Jacinta, Marbella, Cristina, Chabela, Lupe, Nelsy, Cassandra and all the women of the beading cooperative!
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?"
- Mary Oliver, New and Selected Poems
