Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1995 Retailers as interpreters of textile traditions in Antigua, Guatemala Josephine Maria Moreno Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Latin American History Commons, Latin American Studies Commons, Marketing Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Moreno, Josephine Maria, "Retailers as interpreters of textile traditions in Antigua, Guatemala " (1995). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 10966. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/10966 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. 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Ml 48106-1346 USA 313.'761-4700 800/521-0600 Retailers as interpreters of textile traditions in Anrigua, Guatemala by Josephine Maria Moreno A Dissertadon Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department: Textiles and Clothing Major; Textiles and Clothing Approved: Signature was redacted for privacy. In Charge er^f Major Work Signature was redacted for privacy. For the Major^epartment Signature was redacted for privacy. For me uraauaie uouege Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1995 Copyright © Josephine Maria Moreno, 1995. All rights reserved. DHI Niunber: 9540926 Copyright 1995 by Moreno, Josephine Maria All rights reserved. DMI Microform 9540926 Copyright 1995, by OMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17# United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 ii DEDICATION This worlc is dedicated to my mother, Lena Villanueva whose strength, courage, and determination have been the foundation of our lives. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES v LIST OF FIGURES vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii ABSTRACT viii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Purpose 6 Objectives 6 Limitations 7 Operational Definitions 8 Organization of The Dissertation 8 CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE 10 Tradition 10 Tradition in Textiles 16 Guatemalan Geography and History 19 Guatemalan Dress and Textile Development 28 Global Craft Production 44 Tourism 50 CHAPTER THREE: METHODS 54 Selection of Antigua, Guatemala As a Field Site 54 Preparation For Fieldwork 56 Time and Duration of Study 60 Fieldwork 60 Data Analysis 69 CHAPTER FOUR: CONTEXT FOR THE STUDY 73 The Antigua Setting 73 Short Interview Informants and Their Businesses 80 Long Interview Informants 88 CHAPTER FIVE: RESULTS 91 Introduction 91 Products 99 Establishing and Maintaining Relationships 126 Tradition 143 Theoretical Constructs of Tradition 154 Grounded Theory of Tradition Among Textile Retailers in Antigua, Guatemala.. 163 CHAPTER SIX: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 170 Summary 170 Conclusions 177 Recommendations 184 i V Page REFERENCES 187 APPENDIX A: SPANISH GLOSSARY 194 APPENDIX B: SHORT INTERVIEW SCHEDULE 198 APPENDIX C: SHORT OBSERVATION SCHEDULL 202 APPENDIX D: LONG INTERVIEW SCHEDULE 206 APPENDIX E: LONG OBSERVATION SCHEDULE 221 APPENDIX F: HUMAN SUBJECTS CONSENT FORM 229 APPENDIX G: LETTER OF INTRODUCTION 233 APPENDIX H: THEME DEVELOPMENT 235 APPENDIX I: SUBTHEMES CONTAINED WITHIN RELATIONSHIPS THEME 239 V LIST OF TABLES Page Table 2.1 Baizerman's Decision Framework of Tradition 20 Table 3.1 General Characteristics for Categories of Retailers 66 Table 3.2 Emergent Themes and Subthemes 72 Table 4.1 Tourists'Attraction to Antigua 74 Table 4.2 Descriptions of Antigua as a Community 77 Table 4.3 Textile Products For Sale in Antigua 79 Table 4.4 Demographic Characteristics of Informants in Short Interviews 81 Table 4.5 Reasons for Starting a Business in Antigua 77 Table 4.6 Textile Retailers' Descriptions of Own Products 86 Table 4.7 Demographic Characteristics of Informants in Long Interviews 89 Table 5.1 Advertising Use By Retailers in Antigua, Guatemala 95 Table 5.2 Sources of Product Ideas 107 Table 5.3 Sources of Materials and Products in Guatemala Utilized by Textile Retailers Ill Table 5.4 Externally Influenced Textile Products 114 Table 5.5 Characteristics of Low Quality Textile Products 122 Table 5.6 Characteristics of Tradition in Textile Products 147 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1.1 Map of Guatemala 3 Figure 1.2 Craft Production and Marketing System 5 Figure 2.1 Antigua In The 1950s 52 Figure 4.1 Tourist Oriented Sites in Antigua, Guatemala 76 Figure 4.2 Textile Shops in Antigua, Guatemala 84 Figure 5.1 Continua of Traditionality 155 Figure 5.2 Examples of Conceptualizations On The Continua of Traditionality — 164 Figure 6.1 Revised Craft Production and Marketing System 179 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study would not have been possible without the cooperation, friendship, and incredible patience of the retailers who contributed to this study. In addition, I would like to recognize the textile producers of Guatemala who daily persevere through unbelievable hardships making beautiful textile products. Also, to my friends in Guatemala who shared their lives with me, I thank you. In Antigua, the staff of the Centro de Investigaciones de Mesoamerica (CIRMA) provided me with historical resources and many suggestions during the course of fieldwork. Also, Senior To Quinonez at the Consejo Nacional Para La Proteccion de La Antigua Guatemala furnished me with information and maps of Antigua. I am deeply thankful for the encouragement and words of wisdom that I received from my dissertation committee members that consisted of Mary Littrell, Jane Farrell-Beck, Ann Marie Fiore, Mike Whiteford, and Mary Winter. It was their mentorship that guided me down the sometimes difficult path of this degree. As my committee chair, Mary Littrell served as my role model, mentor, friend, and confidant and I am very proud to say I was one of her students. As someone said to me recently, "She is exceptional." This research could not have been possible without the generous financial support of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at Iowa State University, Younkers Department Stores, and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. The department of Geographic Information Systems at Iowa State also lent their technical expertise for which I am very grateful. My friends, Evelisse Ruiz, Marisa Rivera, Rosslyn Boyd, Noemar Castro, Heidi Scheller, Debbie Durham, and Hye-Shin Kim generously lent their moral support and I value their friendships very much. Paul S. provided me with personal inspiration and has always supported my endeavors. Finally, to "mi familia" Lena and Frank Villanueva, my siblings, and their families, I thank you for your loving encouragement. viii ABSTRACT The purposes of this study were to understand textile retailers' interactions with artisans in the procurement, development, and production of textile products; describe how they conceptualize tradition; expand scholarly models of tradition; and contribute to a model of the craft production and marketing system. Fieldwork was conducted in Antigua, Guatemala for nearly four months. Data collection methods included participant observation, ecological traverse, interviews, and observations. Short interviews (N=29) and observations (N=38) were conducted with informants identified in the ecological traverse. Informants for the long interviews (N=14) and observations (N=20) were purposefully drawn from the informants from the large sample. Data were analyzed using open and theoretical coding and constant comparison. Three overarching themes of products, relationships, and tradition, and a grounded theory of tradition emerged. Retailers acquired their textile products using in-house product development, direct purchasing, and consignment. Communication evolved through verbal, visual, and written techniques. They employed production steps of material sourcing, sample