Mayan Women with Poise

Mayan Women with Poise

I can’t count the number of times my mother chastised me for slouching throughout my childhood. A few times she even succeeded in convincing me to practice walking with a book on my head so that I might “improve my posture.” Many times, she threatened to send me to “charm school.” Perhaps she should have just considered a nice family getaway to La Antigua Guatemala instead. The Mayan women and the colorful, traditional dress unfailingly catch the “Western eye.” I’m certain as a child I would have been just as mesmerized by their indigenous beauty as I am now. And to think, if my little eyes had spied these women walking around with their wide, brimming baskets of fruits and goods balanced atop of their heads… I imagine my mother would not have been able to keep me from practicing such “poise” when I arrived back at home. I probably would have passed it on to the neighborhood kids as a fun, childhood game – one that would have come with a cultural lesson. So that settles it: when the time comes for me to teach my daughter “posture and poise,” I’m bringing her to observe La Antigua’s Mayan women.

text and photos by Laura McNamara.

Mayan Women with Poise 1 Mayan Women with Poise 2

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View Comments to “Mayan Women with Poise”



  1. @Laura, I am having trouble deciding which photo I like best, perhaps I like them all the same. Really, I have enjoyed all your photos and descriptions thus far. Good work, please, keep it up!

  2. I like the one you chose!!



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