Guatemala's Indigenous Weavers Push for Legal Recognition of Their Collective IP

By Mayora IP

In an effort for Indigenous cultural heritage, the National Movement of Weavers in Guatemala has submitted a legislative proposal to the Women's Commission of Congress. The initiative seeks to establish intellectual property protections for the traditional textiles and clothing of Indigenous communities, particularly those of Maya origin. The proposal frames these textile traditions not merely as crafts or artifacts, but as living expressions of collective knowledge, cultural memory, and intellectual creation.

The designs woven into huipiles, cortes, and other garments are neither decorative nor arbitrary. Each motif encodes layers of meaning—territorial belonging, ancestral lineage, spiritual symbols—and is created through techniques passed down orally and practically across generations of women. Far from being relics, these textiles remain central to the identity and daily life of many Indigenous communities, and the processes through which they are produced reflect a sophisticated form of cultural authorship that transcends Western notions of individual creativity.

Yet this knowledge system has remained vulnerable under existing legal frameworks. In the absence of recognition, the unauthorized appropriation of Maya textile designs has become widespread. Global fashion brands, companies from the tourism sector and local businesses alike have reproduced these patterns for commercial gain, often without credit or compensation to the communities that originated them. 

The bill introduced by the weavers' movement proposes a shift. It defines the designs and techniques used in Indigenous textiles as collective intellectual property and establishes mechanisms for their legal protection, including the regulation of their commercial use. It also calls for the recognition of Indigenous peoples as rightful owners of this knowledge, with the capacity to authorize or deny the use of their designs, and to benefit from their economic value.