We first bought these coasters for our own use here at home, not to use as coasters, but to use on our ofrenda, beneath more precious items. You may want to use them to that same effect, or you may want to use them as coasters. Either way, they are beautiful. And they are most unusual. They come from San Juan Chamula, a township in the Chiapas highlands of Mexico. Almost the entire village population is indigenous Tzotzil Maya and the language spoken in Chamula is rarely Spanish, but Tzotzil.

These coasters are handmade by the Chamula women, whose primary source of income comes from the woolen products they weave and embroider. The wool is course and thick and shaped by hand. The stitching is by hand, too. They're really quite exquisite (which may explain why we hesitate to call them coasters).

We offer them in sets of 6. Each round is about 4 1/2" in diameter, but as they are handmade, expect some variations in size and appearance. (Wine glass in the photo is for perspective and is not included.)

19WCG