Cotton Keychain of a Worry Doll Holding a Ceramic Turtle - Road Companion

Artisan Organization: Lopez Garcia Family

Country: Mexico

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

"My grandparents said that the way to use them was to take the doll out of the bag or wooden box and tell it your problems and fears. Then, you place the doll under your pillow and, the next day, your problem becomes smaller or can be resolved.

"Nowadays, the worry dolls are very popular and we've been able to make a living creating them. A lot of people in town create these dolls and we've been motivated to improve and carefully create our dolls. We've been able to improve the quality so that our clients receive dolls created with a lot of love.

"Almost all of us who craft worry dolls are women. This allows us to work from home so we can look after our children, check over their homework and make sure they eat well.

"This work has unified us as a family. It has given us group goals to meet and the opportunity to exhibit our work. We feel there are people around the world who value them and this makes us very happy.""