Yucatán artisans seek heritage recognition for Mayan embroidery

Artisans from the State Council of Embroiderers of Yucatán are working to register their ancestral knowledge in Mexico’s Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. A workshop was held at the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya in Mérida, organized by the Secretariat of Culture and Arts of Yucatán (Sedeculta), to review official registration instruments and establish safeguards for Mayan embroidery.

Beyond national registration, the initiative aims to secure international recognition for Mayan embroidery as intangible cultural heritage of humanity from UNESCO. The process involves collaboration between local artisans and state, federal, and international institutions. Patricia Martín Briceño, the Secretary of Culture and Arts of Yucatán, emphasized that the preservation of this heritage depends on the participation and consent of the women who maintain and transmit these traditions within their communities.