On our trip to Guatemala, we find colorful pattern inspiration from so many places on our tour. We take inspiration from the vibrant Guatemalan murals, textile patterns, and landmarks such as cathedrals’ ruins. Many of the patterns found on our trip have vibrant colors in their designs that tie into Mayan culture. The Mayans typically use bright warm colors such as blue, red, green, yellow, and black in their textile and murals.

Patterns on textile art in Guatemala

The beautiful Mayan patterns used in traditional Mayan culture are most commonly for intricate textile art. The Mayans use patterns that resemble ancient hieroglyphs from sacred ruins and pyramids. They often use patterns that are inspired by nature around the villages. The patterns often reflect culturally symbolic figures such as the Mayan gods and animals.

Some of the patterns are symbolic of traditional Mayan culture. For example, the two-headed bird is often on the embroideries to symbolize the dualities of evil and good.

All of the patterns are entirely handmade, and the artisans pay the utmost attention to intricate details. To create the textiles, they use soft fiber for the dyeing process. The dyes are made of natural materials such as fruits and vegetables from Guatemala.

Patterns of Ruins

Throughout Guatemala, some buildings stand the test of time. It is common to pass through towns and see that the buildings have chipped paint or cracks on the stones. Some may think it is unappealing, but we find much inspiration from it.

Many of these buildings still retain their paint color and shape. But the cracks and holes it creates over the years make up these beautiful organic patterns.

Patterns on murals

The patterns on walls and exteriors of architectural buildings in Guatemala are often similar to those in embroidery designs. The patterns use animal and nature figures and often depict plant life throughout the village.

Other patterns incorporate color-blocking designs across the walls of homes and shops. The walls that do not use abstract patterns usually have a standard monochrome wall, decorated with a frame that uses intricate designs.

For example, the wall that we find on our walk around Antigua uses a wooden frame with a multicolored square pattern. Restaurants and cafes around Guatemala use a lot of green plants to decorate the windows and walls. The window frames match the greenscape and blend beautifully with the wall color.