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About this item: Dressed in a variety of colorful dresses, 12 Guatemalan worry dolls are here to preserve ancient Maya traditions. Legend has it that the Maya Sun God gave princess Ixmucané the gift of solving people's problems. With time people started making dolls in Ixmucané's honor and they would tell her their woes, hoping she would solve them through the dolls. "This tradition is still alive," says Ana from the Lopez Garcia Family. "The idea is to have many worry dolls and trust each one with whatever troubles you. Once you've told them, you put them under your pillow. It is said that during the night, while we sleep, the dolls will whisper the solution to our troubles. For us, crafting the worry dolls - muñequitas quita penas - is our main source of income.It allows us to provide our children with an education as well as a job for all of us." The set of 12 arrives in a pedal-loomed cotton pouch.
Please expect slight variations in color and size as each doll is crafted by hand with available materials, rendering each one unique.

- Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
- Not a toy and not intended for use in or near cribs, beds, playpens, or carriages
- Not a toy. Not intended for use by children age 12 or under.

About our Artist: 'My name is Aura Lopez and my family creates quitapena, or 'worry dolls,' which are traditional in Guatemala and Mexico. According to legend, the Maya princess Ixmucane received a gift from the sun god, making her able to resolve any person's problem. Later, people began creating dolls with whom they'd share their problems. They've become very popular. My grandpar…