Hiptipico Ethical Tours + Artisan Visits
Hiptipico Immersion Tours
While we know how beautiful the lake, volcanos and scenery are. We want to make it easy for you to also have a positive impact on the community when you visit Guatemala. The very heartbeat of Hiptipico is our artisan partners and local staff. And we want to share that with you! As a women-run business, we choose to use our strengths to build each other up and tell the stories of the powerful women in our community.
Responsible Tourism
My goal in designing these immersion tours was to create a positive space where travelers can learn about and share the traditions of Guatemala. Our immersion tours are designed for responsible travelers and purpose driven explorers - connecting you directly with female artisans through home visits, textile tours and weaving classes!
Travel + Learn
The women we work with are dedicated to sharing their story, home and culture with you. When you travel with us, you're not coming as a tourist or a foreigner, but as friends. No matter your background or travel purpose, sign up for one of our immersive tours to get the unique opportunity of making cross-culture connections and memories you'll keep for a lifetime!
Our program includes daily immersion tours for solo-travelers, weeklong professional textile tours for buyers and educational artisan-run workshops for students. You will have the choice to travel with me personally or also get to know the Hiptipico local staff. When you travel with Hiptipico, you visit some of our beloved artisans and get a firsthand glimpse at not only the work that Hiptipico does, but also the beautiful techniques of Maya weavers.
Building Authentic Connections
The ultimate transparency is seeing firsthand exactly how our artisans work and the smile on their face while they do it! Which is why we designed immersion tours so you can meet the artisans and buy directly from them! Our team facilitates daily or weekly trips and strives to educate visitors about the thriving Maya culture and facilitate authentic relationships. We love to connect local indigenous artisans with socially-conscious buyers looking to source more ethically.
We provide you with a professional guide, local currency financing, shipping logistics and translation services. Our team acts as a liaison between you and our artisan partners, helping place wholesale orders, customize new designs, and overcome the language barrier.
Why Hiptipico?
We pride ourselves on authenticity and are dedicated to honoring the Maya culture. By sourcing traditional textiles from female artisans, we empower artisans to preserve their heritage and maintain their traditional design aesthetic, while providing a dignified job opportunity.
Hiptipico staff lives full-time in rural Guatemala in the heart of the Maya world. We are a women run organization with a diverse team of primarily local Guatemalan and indigenous staff. Our team is committed to putting the well-being of others first and building honest and sustainable relationships.
We deeply value having real relationships with our artisan partners that go far beyond buying and selling. By investing in their lives, families, and communities, we are making sure that our partners feel valued and that we are listening to each one of their needs. ⠀⠀⠀
Our sourcing trips are not just about purchasing goods. We incorporate genuine artisan visits, bringing you into the homes of female weavers. Experiencing this lifestyle allows for a deeper appreciation of their craft. Our tours are original - offering a raw encounter with the Maya world.
About your Guides
Alyssa!
Me! I earned my Master’s from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Economic Development of Latin America. I traveled the world extensively to complete field research on global poverty reduction strategies. I also worked with various sustainable development initiatives, one of which brought me to the highlands of Guatemala in the first place! I am dedicated to sharing authentic handcrafted goods with the world and to economically support the local indigenous community. Almost a decade later, I have built a team on the ground in Panajachel of diverse females of both Guatemalan and indigenous background.
Lisa!
Lisa is from a small indigenous village on Lake Atitlan named Santa Catarina Palopó and she is the oldest of eight siblings. Lisa first became involved with Hiptipico when her mother joined our team as an artisan partner in 2016. Previously, Lisa worked in a small community project in her village and decided to expand her horizons in 2018 when she began her position with Hiptipico in our office in Panajachel.In her role as Operations Assistant, Lisa supports Vivi with artisan relations, packages up customer orders and assists with immersion tours. She really enjoys seeing how the traditional textiles of her country are transformed from the market pieces to beautiful new high-end products.
Thanks for reading. And as always . . . Be thoughtful. Stay kind.
♡ Alyssa
Follow along on instagram (@alyssaya) for more about Guatemala, ethical fashion, responsible travel and globally minded topics!