Top Artisan Workshops in Guatemala That Let You Travel with Purpose

Guatemala is best experienced by doing. 

Beyond the landmarks and scenic views, it’s the country’s living traditions that offer the most meaningful connection.

For travelers looking to go deeper, artisan workshops give you access to Guatemala’s cultural core, taught by the people who keep these skills alive.

Whether you’re carving jade, weaving textiles, cooking with locals, or building traditional kites, these workshops offer hands-on ways to learn, connect, and walk away with something made by you, something that matters, and makes your trip extra memorable. 

Here’s what to expect, where to do it, and why it’s worth making them part of your trip.

Jade Carving — Work With Guatemala’s Most Sacred Stone

Jade isn’t just jewelry in Guatemala; it’s history. 

For the ancient Maya, jade represented power and spirituality. Today, it’s still carved using traditional techniques passed down through generations.

In a jade carving workshop, you’ll choose a raw stone and learn how to shape, file, and polish it into something wearable.

Casa Del Jade Workshop

Local artisans guide you through the process, from understanding the cultural significance to handling the tools. It’s slow, precise work, and by the end, you’ll leave with a finished piece and a deeper appreciation of its legacy.

Workshops are usually held in studios in Antigua or Guatemala City. No experience is needed, just patience and curiosity.

If you’re interested in experiencing this, it will be one of the things we’ll do at our upcoming group trip to Guatemala. You can find out all about it by visiting our group trip page.

Weaving — Learn Backstrap Loom Techniques With Indigenous Women

Guatemala’s textile tradition is one of the most distinctive in the world. Patterns, colors, and techniques vary by region and are closely tied to identity, heritage, and family.

A weaving workshop introduces you to the backstrap loom, a tool still widely used by Maya women. You’ll start with natural-dyed yarns and learn how to set up the loom, create patterns, and develop a rhythm. Instructors often host sessions in villages around Lake Atitlán or in cooperatives that support women artisans.

You’ll probably only finish a small textile sample, but that’s not the point. The value is in learning how much knowledge goes into even the simplest design, and the respect the craft demands.

Mayan woman weaving

Cooking Workshops — Make Traditional Dishes With Local Cooks

Cooking classes in Guatemala go far beyond recipes. 

Often, these usually start at a local market to shop for ingredients, spices, produce, fresh tortillas, and get a rundown of what makes Guatemalan cuisine distinct. Think pepián (a tomato and seed-based stew), tamales, kak’ik (turkey stew), and handmade tortillas.

Back in the kitchen, you’ll cook alongside women who’ve prepared these dishes all their lives. It’s casual, hands-on, and social. You’ll chop, stir, wrap, and cook over open flames or on traditional comales. And when it’s all ready, you sit down and eat together.

These workshops give you a practical skill and a meal, but also an inside look at daily life and shared traditions.

Floral Dye — Artisan Workshop Using Plants, Not Chemicals

In floral dye workshops, you’ll create naturally dyed fabric using flowers, leaves, and other local plant materials. It’s a quiet, focused process.

You start by gathering the materials you need and preparing the fabric for dyeing. The result is abstract but beautiful: soft, botanical patterns made without synthetic dyes. These sessions often take place in women-led workshops with a focus on sustainability.

You’ll also learn about the plants used, many of which have cultural or medicinal significance.

It’s low-pressure, creative work, and you leave with a dyed scarf, scrunchie, bag, or textile that looks like a piece of Guatemala’s landscape.

This is another exciting workshop we’ll be doing together with Luna Zorro. You can find out more about it in our official Guatemala itinerary.

Luza Zorro Studio

Ceramics — Shape Clay Using Traditional Pottery Methods

In a ceramics workshop, you’ll work directly with clay and learn how to form vessels or tiles using local techniques. These methods date back to pre-Columbian times and often reflect natural or spiritual themes.

Most sessions start with the basics. This includes preparing the clay, forming shapes, and carving simple designs. You may also paint your piece or watch it being fired in a kiln or traditional oven. 

Local potters share how ceramics are used in rituals and everyday life, and you get the chance to make something functional and rooted in tradition.

Workshops can be found in the highlands or smaller towns like San Antonio Palopó or Totonicapán, where pottery is still a community craft.

Potter shaping clay on throwing wheel

Chocolate Making — Roast, Grind, and Mold Your Own Bar

Guatemala is one of the birthplaces of chocolate. So it’s hard to pass up visiting this location without trying out a chocolate-making workshop. 

In these workshops, you start with raw cacao beans and learn how they’re transformed into delicious chocolate, from roasting and grinding to mixing and molding.

Using a traditional grinding stone, you’ll make cacao paste, then add local spices or sweeteners. The process gives you a close-up look at how chocolate was made before it became commercialized and why cacao was once considered sacred by the Maya.

You’ll then finish with your own handmade bar and a better understanding of how important cacao has been in Mesoamerican culture and economy.

Choco Museo Chocolate Workshop

Mask Making — Paint and Carve a Piece of Festival Culture

Masks play a central role in Guatemalan celebrations and dances. Each one has its own character (mythical creatures, animals, saints) and is worn during processions and community events.

In a mask-making workshop, you’ll start with a pre-carved wooden base and paint it using bright, bold colors.

These workshops are often informative as the host offers the stories behind the designs and how they vary by region. The instructors, usually artists from towns like Rabinal or Chichicastenango, explain the history of mask traditions and how they’re still used today.

It’s a colorful, accessible art form and one that ties directly to public life and identity in Guatemala.

Here's a great video showing an artisan creating these masks from carving to painting:

Kite Making — Build a Traditional Kite for Day of the Dead

Every year, Guatemalans build massive, intricate kites for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), especially in the towns of Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez.

While for most foreigners, kits are often seen as toys, here in Guatemala, during this season, it’s part of a cultural ritual that blends celebration and remembrance.

In kite-making workshops, you’ll build your version using bamboo, string, and tissue paper. You’ll learn how designs carry meaning.

Often, these are symbols of nature, messages to loved ones, or motifs that reflect the afterlife. It’s a creative, collaborative process, and surprisingly hands-on.

At the end, you’ll test your kite or take it home as a striking piece of cultural art.

Bright Future Global Kite Making Workshops

Why These Workshops Belong in Your Itinerary

Participating in these workshops isn’t just about filling time. It’s actually about learning something with your hands, directly from the people who live the culture every day. 

Sure, they’re fun, but when you join, you get more than a finished product. You gain context, interaction, and a real understanding of what makes Guatemalan culture layered and alive.

For women travelers, especially those going solo or in small groups, these workshops also offer structure, community, and access. 

You’re invited into real spaces: kitchens, homes, studios, collectives. What’s more, you’re guided, supported, and engaged in a way that’s welcoming but never performative.

There’s no need for previous experience here. Just curiosity and a willingness to learn.

Traveling With Purpose — Join a Group That Prioritizes Connection

If you’re interested in exploring these workshops with a group, Traveling Women Official holds trips to Guatemala, and part of them center on hands-on cultural experiences. 

These itineraries let you explore this beautiful country with careful stops to join various local-led programs and workshops that support the local community. 

Come join us to explore the beauty of Guatemala!

Traveling with a group gives you the flexibility of solo exploration, but the safety and energy of shared experience. You’ll meet like-minded women, enjoy built-in support, and have access to workshops that are often off the tourist path.