Pixan is an Indigenous and women owned fair trade textile workshop located in the western Highlands of Guatemala. Pixan, which means “spirit” in the Maya language of K’iche, is an association of Indigenous artisan weavers who pass down the ancient art of backstrap and pedal loom weaving and embroidery. Pixan is one of the social enterprise initiatives of the Asociación de Mujeres del Altiplano (AMA) or Association of Highland Women, which further partners with the Highland Support Project, both of which are dedicated to improving the conditions of Indigenous women in Guatemala. AMA, which calls itself a “group of housewives, weavers, midwives, health workers and professionals who have joined forces to improve our communities,” has its roots in 1960s Guatemala, when armed conflict in the country left many women with limited economic opportunities. Although Pixan’s techniques, fabrics, and patterns are crafted by weavers who create motifs that have been passed down for generations, the collective is not afraid to break a few rules. Pixan weavers often create designs from the landscapes and mountains that surround their homelands. Ancestrally, fabrics woven on a foot loom were only crafted by men due to the strength required to operate the loom. Pixan, however, believes women are strong and capable and have trained women to become master foot loom weavers. Pixan has donated more than 8 wooden foot looms to the Mam & K'iche communities. The Pixan model champions fair pay and working conditions, high-quality artisanal work, and direct trade relationships, which removes the need for middlemen and their fees.

Backstrap weaving is a centuries-old art form that is still practiced among the local women weavers in rural villages across Guatemala. Legendary stories suggest that the Mayan communities first learned to weave thousands of years ago by Ix Chel, the Mayan Goddess of the Moon. Mayan tales are threaded into each colorful design, weaving together unique patterns that tell a story.