<% %> El Quetzal Project for Sustainable Community Development
Cresencia (right), El Quetzal's agent, collaborates with the Presidenta of the women's group in S.A. Palopó.
Resplendent Quetzal

  The resplendent quetzal bird, found in southern Mexico and Central America, is a traditional symbol of liberty in the land of the Maya, as it does not live in captivity.
  Legend claims that the bird, which used to sing brilliantly, has been silent since the Spanish conquest. As the national bird of Guatemala, it is also on the flag and national seal. The country's currency is named after it.
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Samaj Tijonik -- Arte en Papel Reciclado

Samaj Tijonik is a group of 12 young artisans who live in the area of Las Canoas Altas, San Andrés Semetabaj, Sololá Department. The name means “Educational Work” in the local Mayan language of Kaqchikel. These very creative young people, currently 8 men and 4 women, not only provide work and a non-exploitative wage for rural Mayans but are also dedicated to preserving the environment by making products of recycled paper and natural materials, mostly leaves and bark, found in the forests nearby.

The beautiful products of Samaj Tijonik include boxes, notebooks, paper with envelopes, lampshades, photo albums and bookmarks all decorated with geometric, landscape or fantasy designs using multicolored leaves and bark. They are well organized with a list of products including codes and prices and an album of 30 or so possible decorative designs from which to choose. The leadership consists of a director, a young man in charge of designs and another in charge of quality control.

This group was founded in 1996 with 10 young people, half men and half women, as the vision of Rovin Muj Garcia, the group’s current director. All the members are students, either by day or on the weekends. Their goals for this year are to find new markets and clients as well as a source of funds to create an inventory to be used in presenting their products to national and international markets. They would love to expand their group to provide work for more young people in the area.