Message Cojolya before you go: its current website (2025) lists a store and backstrap-loom classes in Santiago Atitlán but no museum hours or fee, while the Ministry of Culture’s undated SIC directory lists a Museo de Tejidos Cojolyá at Q10, Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00 and Saturday 9:00-13:00, and Cojolya’s older website (2017) called museum entry free.
In short: Cojolya, the Tz’utujil weavers’ association in Santiago Atitlán, asks visitors to get in touch first. WhatsApp (+502) 5934-9203, office (+502) 7721-7268, info@cojolya.org.gt. Its store is on Calle de las Artesanías, opposite restaurante Germinación, Cantón Tzanjuyú. Weaving classes run Monday to Friday 9:00-15:00, with a drop-in class Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:00-12:00. For the museum, the undated Ministry of Culture directory lists Q10, Cojolya’s older site said entry was free, and its current site publishes no museum fee.
What each source says
Three published descriptions exist, and they do not agree. Cojolya’s current website is the most recent and comes from the operator, so it takes priority.
| Item | Cojolya current site (2025 footer) | Cojolya older site (2017 footer) | SIC directory (undated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Museum mentioned | No | Yes, the Cojolya Association Weaving Museum | Yes, Museo de Tejidos Cojolyá |
| Museum fee | Not published | Free | Q10, nationals and foreigners |
| Days and hours | Classes Mon-Fri 9:00-15:00; drop-in Mon, Wed, Fri 9:00-12:00 | Museum Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00 | Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat 9:00-13:00 |
| Address | Calle de las Artesanías, opposite restaurante Germinación, Cantón Tzanjuyú | Comercial Las Máscaras, 2nd floor, Calle Real, Cantón Tzanjuyu | Calle Principal |
| Phones | Office (+502) 7721-7268; WhatsApp (+502) 5934-9203 | (502) 7721-7268; WhatsApp (502) 3792-5844 | None listed |
| Read | 9 Nov 2026 | 9 Nov 2026 | 9 Nov 2026 |
Cojolya’s current contact page is direct about visits: “Si desea visitarnos, le agradecemos se ponga en contacto con nosotras” (if you would like to visit us, please get in touch with us). Use the WhatsApp number on the current site; the older site’s WhatsApp number is different.
The museum as described
Two descriptions of the museum exist, and neither carries a 2026 date.
Cojolya’s older English-language site says the weaving museum shows backstrap-loom weaving as Tz’utujil Maya artisans practise it, with historic and modern styles of traje, traditional Maya dress, and a display of archaeological artefacts found at sites around Santiago Atitlán. When weavers are available, it says, they can give weaving and warping demonstrations on request. It lists the tour as free and about 20 minutes long.
The Ministry of Culture’s SIC directory describes the rooms as following the weaving process from cotton to finished pieces such as a tzute (tapado) or a güipil (woman’s blouse), alongside the men’s and women’s dress of Santiago Atitlán and the steps and tools of the backstrap loom. It adds a shop selling pieces made by association members, designed with advice from an American designer.
Classes on the backstrap loom
Classes are the part of Cojolya that its current website sets out in full. Under the guidance of the association’s weavers, each participant designs and weaves a piece of cloth to keep, and the teacher adapts to your experience and goals.
- Class with a full kit. The weavers prepare your loom before the class in colours you choose. Cojolya suggests at least 3 hours for a basic introduction; all tools and materials are yours to keep.
- Advanced class. You choose thread colours from the association’s stock, set up the basic tools (warping frame and winder), order the threads, and with your teacher prepare flour and water on the stove to soak them; once dry, the threads go on the loom and you start weaving. Suggested minimum: 7 hours over two days, 3 on the first and 4 on the second.
- Drop-in class (clase imprevista). Come to the centre on Monday, Wednesday or Friday between 9:00 and 12:00; a loom is kept free for practice. Minimum one hour.
- Embroidery. Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00, in Santiago Atitlán stitches; suggested minimum 3.5 hours.
To book, email info@cojolya.org.gt or WhatsApp +502 5934 9203. The site publishes no class prices, so ask when you write.
Longer visits: jaspe dyers and weavers’ homes
The SIC directory says Cojolya offers one- to two-hour visits to the Casa del Jaspeador, the person who prepares the threads for a corte jaspeado woven on the foot loom, and to the homes of backstrap weavers, with an INGUAT-authorised guide.
The older Cojolya site describes the same idea as a community tour of artisans’ homes and workshops: 1.5 to 5 hours, in Spanish with an English translator on request, booked at least 24 hours ahead. Its prices were Q100 per person for groups of six or more, Q125 for groups of three to five and Q175 for one or two. Those prices sit on a site with a 2017 copyright line; confirm them before you count on them.
About the association
The current website says Cojolya began in 1983, during the civil war, to support women who were victims of the war, and that the Asociación Cojolya was founded in 1996 to help Indigenous women artisans improve their lives and preserve backstrap weaving, through fair work and access to fair global markets. Its founders were Candis Krummel, an American, and Antonio Ramírez Sosof, an artisan from Santiago Atitlán. The name, it says, is the Tz’utujil word Kjol’Yá, between the waters, rendered in Spanish as island.
How it fits a day in Santiago Atitlán
Cojolya fits into the same day as Santiago’s other stops; with a drop-in class it can be as short as an hour. The Maximón in Santiago Atitlán page covers Maximón and the market days, and the Santiago Atitlán town page covers the rest of the town. For boats between the lake towns, see the village-hopping guide.
Cojolya is a different operator, in a different town, from the cooperatives on the San Juan La Laguna textile tour, if you want to compare two weaving visits on one trip.
Sources
- Asociación Cojolya, home page (current site, 2025 footer): https://cojolya.org.gt/ — read 9 November 2026.
- Asociación Cojolya, Contacto: https://cojolya.org.gt/contacto/ — read 9 November 2026.
- Asociación Cojolya, Clases de telar: https://cojolya.org.gt/clases-de-telar/ — read 9 November 2026.
- Asociación Cojolya, Nuestra historia: https://cojolya.org.gt/nuestra-historia/ — read 9 November 2026.
- Cojolya Association, older website, Visit Us (2017 copyright line): https://cojolyaasociacion.wixsite.com/cojolya/visit-us — read 9 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, SIC directory listing, Museo de Tejidos Cojolyá (undated): https://www.sicultura.gob.gt/directory-directorio_c/listing/museo-de-tejidos-cojolya/ — read 9 November 2026.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Cojolya weaving museum in Santiago Atitlán cost, and when is it open?
The published figures disagree. The Ministry of Culture’s undated SIC directory lists the Museo de Tejidos Cojolyá at Q10 for nationals and foreigners, Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00 and Saturday 9:00-13:00. Cojolya’s older website (copyright 2017) says museum entry is free, Monday to Friday 9:00-17:00. Its current website (2025) does not mention the museum at all. Message Cojolya before going: WhatsApp (+502) 5934-9203 or info@cojolya.org.gt.
Where is Cojolya in Santiago Atitlán?
Cojolya’s current website gives its store address as Calle de las Artesanías, opposite restaurante Germinación, Cantón Tzanjuyú, Santiago Atitlán, with the head office nearby. The older site gave Comercial Las Máscaras, 2nd floor, Calle Real, and the SIC directory says Calle Principal.
Can I take a backstrap-loom weaving class at Cojolya?
Yes. Cojolya’s current website lists weaving classes Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 15:00, with a suggested minimum of 3 hours for a beginner class and 7 hours over two days for an advanced one, plus a drop-in class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 to 12:00 with a one-hour minimum. Book by email or WhatsApp. No class prices are published.
What is Cojolya?
The Asociación Cojolya, a Tz’utujil weavers’ association. Its website says the project began in 1983, during the civil war, to support women affected by the war, and the association was formed in 1996; it names Candis Krummel, an American, as founder and Antonio Ramírez Sosof, an artisan from the town, as co-founder.
What does the name Cojolya mean?
Cojolya says it is a Tz’utujil word, written Kjol’Yá, meaning between the waters; in Spanish, island, recalling the place where the women first began to weave.
