Up to this point several books of poetry, a children's ecological book and a collection of autobio- graphical portraits of Tzotzil women had been published. A desire for more books and an interest in recycling fueled a growing interest in handmade paper.

Even before launching the workshop Ambar had gone out to remote Indian villages and to record the songs, poems and stories of Mayan women. In time, she recorded hundreds of hours and assembled the most comprehensive collection of Mayan women's literary works, mostly in the form of conjuring spells and drinking songs. It was only left to share the results of this research in book form.

The text sheets are presented in a colorful silkscreened folder with a bookmark of braided threads dyed using the techniques found in the book. The Natural Dye School was a complete success. Within ten years many more natural dyes had been invented, teachers were training a new generation of teachers, and natural dyes were again being used for ceremonial and commercial purposes.

The dye school still exists. Women trained in the program bought their own building and it houses a natural dye cooperative. "Bon tintes naturales" is still in print and in its second edition.

Conjuring Spells and Drinking Songs

After the success of the Natural Dye School, interest at Taller Lenateros turned more and more to papermaking and book production. The Mayans had a long history of bookmaking before the arrival of the Spanish invaders and books were always important to the San Cristobal collective.

Over 150 people worked for 23 years to make the book possible. The title is "Conjuros y ebriedades, cantos de mujeres mayas" (Conjuring Spells and Drinking Songs of Mayan Women). The finished volume measures 25 cm (about 10") square, has 200 pages and 50 original silkscreen illustrations by Tzotzil and Tzeltal women. The end papers are recycled paper with palm fronds, logwood and soot added. The three-dimensional cover was created by Norwegian sculptor Gitte Daehlin and is cast from paper made of recycled cardboard boxes, corn silk and coffee.

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