San Juan La Laguna, a Tz’utujil town on Lake Atitlán, is where women’s weaving associations show visitors how cotton is spun, dyed with plants and woven on the backstrap loom. You can watch for free or take a paid workshop: one cooperative, booked through a San Juan eco-hotel, charges Q65 for 1 hour, Q175 for 2 to 3 hours and Q275 for 4 hours with a scarf to keep; a tour designer sells a 3-hour class for US$100. Prices read 25 September 2026.
This page answers the practical questions for the weaving visit itself: what each format costs, what you do in it, what you keep and who to call. Sources: the San Juan La Laguna tourism website’s handicrafts directory, the workshop pages of Eco-Hotel MayAchik’ and Etnica, Casa Flor Ixcaco’s own site and INGUAT’s visitor guide to San Juan, all read on 25 September 2026 (INGUAT’s on 24 September), plus AtitlanVida’s town guide (updated May 2026) for the one reported price.
Quick summary
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Where | San Juan La Laguna, Sololá, on Lake Atitlán |
| People | Tz’utujil (INGUAT) |
| What you see | Cotton spinning, natural dyes, backstrap-loom weaving |
| Free option | 20-minute cooperative tour (MayAchik') |
| Paid workshops | Q65 (1 h) · Q175 (2-3 h) · Q275 (4 h) (MayAchik’); US$100 (3 h, Etnica) |
| Keep your piece? | Yes at Q275 (small scarf) and with Etnica; no at Q175 |
| Best time of day | Morning (INGUAT) |
| Getting there | Boat from Panajachel or another lake village, or by road (INGUAT) |
| Where to sleep | San Juan La Laguna or across the lake in Panajachel |
What each option costs
| Option | Length | Price | What you do | You keep | Source, date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooperative tour, MayAchik' | 20 minutes | Free | Short introduction to the cooperative | — | mayachik.com, read 25 Sep 2026 |
| Workshop option 1, MayAchik' | 1 hour | Q65 per person | Basic San Juan weaving techniques, with the weaver’s materials | Not stated | mayachik.com, read 25 Sep 2026 |
| Workshop option 2, MayAchik' | 2-3 hours | Q175 per person | Natural dyeing and backstrap weaving, with the weaver’s thread | No — the piece stays with the cooperative | mayachik.com, read 25 Sep 2026 |
| Workshop option 3, MayAchik' | 4 hours | Q275 per person | The full process, practised | A small scarf, about 8 in wide and up to 30 in long | mayachik.com, read 25 Sep 2026 |
| Natural dyes and weaving workshop, Etnica | 3 hours, from 9:00 | US$100 (listing price; per-person basis not stated), group size 2-6 | Spinning, extracting the dyes, setting up and using the backstrap loom, dyeing a white cotton garment | Yes — your creation | Etnica listing on WeTravel, read 25 Sep 2026 |
| Weaving class, Asociación Lema' | About 3 hours | About Q200 per person (traveler report) | Weaving class; reserve a day ahead | Not stated | AtitlanVida, updated May 2026, figure last checked 2024 |
Two things to notice. First, the MayAchik’ workshops take place at a cooperative close to the hotel, and the paid options include spinning, dyeing and weaving guided by a weaver throughout. Second, Etnica’s price includes the materials (natural fibres, the loom and threads), a textile demonstration and a contribution to the social project visited; its workshop is taught in Spanish, with a translator as a paid add-on. Etnica’s cancellation rule: cancel in writing at least 48 hours before the start and you may be eligible for a refund; under 48 hours, no refund.
The town’s directory gives no prices, and Casa Flor Ixcaco’s own site showed none when we read it on 25 September 2026; for the associations not priced above, ask directly by phone.
The weaving associations
The San Juan La Laguna tourism website (sanjuanlalaguna.com.gt) lists these handicraft associations (directory © 2021, read 25 September 2026). It says several of them show visitors the whole process and the techniques behind traditional colours, and that some run tours of the plants used for the colours and of the dyeing of cotton thread.
| Association | What the directory says | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Ixoq Ajkeem | Handmade garments, including natural-dye products; materials include local flowers, leaves, bark, fruit, medicinal plants, recycled fabric and chemical fabric | (502) 4736 2232 |
| Mayab’ B’atz’ib’al | Jaspe (ikat) handmade products | (502) 5591 5504 |
| Casa Flor Ixcaco | The process of handmade clothing together with care for the environment | (502) 4291 9153 |
| Asociación La Voz de los Tz’utujiles | Cotton spinning, organic natural dyes and backstrap weaving; commissions and wholesale | (502) 5411 8061 |
| Asociación de Mujeres en Colores Botánicos | 40 women who dye thread in natural colours; a group since 1971, an association since 2002 | (502) 5414 9597 |
| Asociación Lema' | Tz’utujil women preserving their culture through natural-dye textiles | (502) 5866 8446 |
| Artesanías Quetzallí | Handmade textiles with natural dyes extracted from plants, in cotton | (502) 5569 2319 |
| Cooperativa Artesanía Maya | Textiles made by women of San Juan | (502) 5585 8348 |
| Ruk’u’x Keem | Crafts from recyclable materials; yarn products and dyes | (502) 5616 7793 |
| Cooperativa Aj To’ooneel Ixoq | Community cooperative selling handmade products | (502) 5426 7737 |
| The Cave (leather, not textiles) | Leather crafts made by Tz’utujil artisans | (502) 5490 7434 / 4291 0204 |
Casa Flor Ixcaco, from its own site
Casa Flor Ixcaco describes itself as a group of Maya women from San Juan La Laguna. Its founder, Teresa Ujpan Pérez, started the project more than 30 years ago with five other women; today it has 34. The group grows its own cotton in four native colours (white, khaki, ixcaco and green), dyes with seeds, leaves, flowers and tree bark, and weaves every garment on the backstrap loom. Each product carries a photo of the woman who made it. Its site did not list a workshop or demonstration price when we read it on 25 September 2026.
Etiquette INGUAT asks for
INGUAT’s visitor guide to San Juan La Laguna says the town is part of Tz’utujil territory and asks visitors to:
- ask before taking photos of people;
- support local craftsmanship when buying;
- avoid haggling aggressively, since each piece represents time, skill and knowledge passed down through generations;
- carry cash for crafts, coffee and local transport.
When to go
INGUAT’s guide says San Juan can be visited all year. The dry season makes walking and boat trips more comfortable; the rainy season is greener, and INGUAT suggests allowing extra time and bringing rain protection. Its advice on the hour: morning, for good light, less heat and more time to combine culture, a walk and the lake. Etnica’s workshop starts at 9:00.
Getting there
INGUAT: by boat across the lake from Panajachel or other lake villages, or by road; check the boat times on the day, because they can vary with conditions on the lake. Inside San Juan you get around on foot. Our route page covers the crossing: Panajachel to San Juan La Laguna. The Lake Atitlán towns guide compares the villages.
Where to sleep: San Juan La Laguna
INGUAT says you get around San Juan on foot, so a night in town puts the cooperatives within walking distance for a 9:00 start or the 4-hour workshop. Panajachel is the alternative base; INGUAT’s guide gives the boat from Panajachel as one of the ways in.
Live availability in San Juan La Laguna:
Where to stay in San Juan La Laguna
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Choosing a format
| If you want | Pick | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| A look at the process, no commitment | The free 20-minute cooperative tour | Free |
| To try the loom once | The 1-hour workshop | Q65 |
| Dyeing and weaving, no souvenir needed | The 2-3 hour workshop | Q175 |
| To make and keep a scarf | The 4-hour workshop | Q275 |
| A booked, all-materials class with a garment you dye yourself | Etnica’s 3-hour workshop | US$100 |
More around Lake Atitlán
- Maximón in Santiago Atitlán · Cerro Tzankujil, San Marcos · Reserva Natural Atitlán, Panajachel.
- Chichicastenango market · Panajachel to San Juan La Laguna.
- San Juan La Laguna · all activities.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a weaving workshop cost in San Juan La Laguna?
Prices published by operators on 25 September 2026: Eco-Hotel MayAchik’ in San Juan offers a free 20-minute tour of a nearby cooperative, then paid workshops at Q65 per person (1 hour), Q175 (2 to 3 hours) and Q275 (4 hours, you take home a small scarf). Etnica sells a 3-hour natural-dye and weaving workshop for US$100 (listing price; per-person basis not stated), group size 2 to 6. AtitlanVida reports that the Lema association runs roughly three-hour classes for about Q200 per person (last checked 2024).
Is there a free weaving demonstration in San Juan La Laguna?
Yes. MayAchik’ lists a free, 20-minute tour of the cooperative close to its hotel for anyone who wants a short introduction. The town’s tourism website says several associations show visitors the whole process, and some run tours on the dye plants and the dyeing of cotton thread; it does not publish prices for them.
What do you learn in a San Juan natural-dye workshop?
Spinning cotton, dyeing thread with natural products, and weaving on a backstrap loom, per MayAchik’s and Etnica’s workshop descriptions. Etnica’s 3-hour class also has you dye a white cotton garment with the colours you produce, and you keep your piece. In MayAchik’s 2-3 hour option the finished piece stays with the cooperative; in the 4-hour option you take home a small scarf about 8 inches wide and up to 30 inches long.
Which weaving cooperatives are in San Juan La Laguna?
The town’s tourism website (sanjuanlalaguna.com.gt) lists Ixoq Ajkeem, Mayab’ B’atz’ib’al, Casa Flor Ixcaco, the Asociación La Voz de los Tz’utujiles, the Asociación de Mujeres en Colores Botánicos, the Asociación Lema’, Artesanías Quetzallí, the Cooperativa Artesanía Maya, Ruk’u’x Keem and the Cooperativa Aj To’ooneel Ixoq, plus a leather workshop, The Cave. Phone numbers are in the table on this page.
Are the workshops in English?
Etnica’s workshop is taught in Spanish by the weavers, with a translator available as a paid add-on. MayAchik’s page does not say which language its workshops use; ask when you book.
How do I get to San Juan La Laguna?
By boat across Lake Atitlán from Panajachel or another lake village, or by road, per INGUAT’s visitor guide. Our Panajachel to San Juan La Laguna route page has the boat details.
