Indigenous communities fight cultural commodification
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Indigenous communities in Mexico and Guatemala are confronting the appropriation of their cultural traditions and artistic designs by outside interests.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, wedding planners now market “Oaxacan weddings” as commercial packages, offering elements like calenda processions and mezcal but removing the reciprocal practices that give the ceremonies meaning. Oaxacan author Kupijy Vargas argues this turns community members into laborers in their own land, repeating a colonial pattern.
Similarly, fashion houses like Isabel Marant and Antik Batik have copied textile patterns from the Tlahui community without offering payment or credit, effectively converting collective cultural property into private ownership. Tajëëw B. Díaz Robles explains that this practice disregards the community context in which the textiles are created and circulated. However, Maya weavers in Guatemala are actively challenging this trend.
The Women’s Association for the Development of Sacatepéquez and other cooperatives have repeatedly petitioned the Guatemalan Congress for legislation protecting their collective intellectual property rights over textiles. While previous bills have failed to pass, they recently submitted a third proposal, Initiative 6788, which would formally recognize Indigenous peoples as the legal authors of their designs and establish a council to enforce those rights.
