Abuela's Weave

Abuela's Weave

By: Omar S. Castaneda

Multicultural and International Literature

Esperanza and her grandmother, aka Abuela, work together in front of a loom to create beautiful tapestries and other works of art such as dresses and bags. Esperanza is worried that the people at the Guatemalan market won’t to buy from them because so many things were being made my machine. However, once they get to the market and find a place to set up their merchandise, the people quickly notice the beauty of the elaborate weaving, especially the tapestry which had images of Guatemala’s history woven into it. They end up being able to sell all their items and the people are anxious for them to return next month with new items to sell.

I would use this book to help teach students about the culture of Guatemala. It uses a lot of authentic language, such as the names of the cities or streets. I would talk about the traditions of the Guatemalans, such as how many families make things by hand and then sell them in marketplaces. As an activity to go along with the book, I would give my students different scraps of cloth and have them make their own “weave” by gluing the pieces together in their own unique way onto a large piece of construction paper. I would then put all the papers together and put it on a wall in the classroom to display as class art.