Artisan Profile

Purchasing these handmade scarves from the Vivaz Women’s Cooperative, located in San Luis Los Ranchos, supports Salvadoran culture and female empowerment. Through international sales of their products, the women are able to gain financial independence and improve the quality of life for their families.

The “añil” or indigo dye they use is indigenous to the region and was once used by the ancient Mayas. Indigo is a natural plant, and only works on natural cotton fabric. The indigo plant is cut and put into water for fermentation. At the end of the bathing process, the deep blue dye is left at the bottom of the waterbed and then used to create these beautiful textiles.

Until the 1800s, indigo was the only way to dye fabrics blue. This made it very popular and it was the #1 export in El Salvador for a long time. However, when synthetic dyes were created, the demand for indigo plummeted, greatly hurting the Salvadoran economy, perpetuating the difficulties of the lives of indigenous people in the region.