The Truth About the Mayan Spinner
35K views · Aug 17, 2026 · Howto & Style
Comments · 294
@JillianEve · 1 month ago · pinned
I want to clarify that I don't think it's wrong to call it a Mayan spinner, however, nuance and context are important and this tool has some history and other uses. What do you think?
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@Kathleen-q1l · 1 month ago
Me, 3 minutes and 47 seconds in "I could totally make that out of a dowl and a paint stirrer..."
170
@bethrogers5656 · 1 month ago
I was in Guatemala last year and visited several weaver’s co-ops ( of indigenous Mayan women). The women use supported spindles to spin their cotton yarn. The labor intensity of cleaning cotton, prepping for spinning, spinning, dyeing and then weaving is astounding. Most of them still wear traditional hand woven and embroidered Mayan clothing. I did not see this tool used in any of those weaver’s studios.
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@bagladysendtheferalspinner3761 · 1 month ago
I think the right request would be: "Where can I find acurrate well made historical reproductions of the tools I want?"
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@weavrmom · 1 month ago
Long time spinner here, and when this came up randomly on my feed, I instantly saw that the tool was a twister for rope/string/whatever. South American spinners have excelled at fast and fine spinning for millennia, and mastered efficient spindle/whorl spinning long ago.
60
@marifonseca3307 · 1 month ago
I just figured out that fidgeting could be an ancestral need we carry to this day
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@tessaw7549 · 1 month ago
A tool for rope twisting associated with the Mayan lands... My mind went immediately to the town of Sisal on the Yucatan peninsula where locally produced rope and twine was a massive industry in the 19th century. The source was henequen and sisal, agave plants that Mayans have cultivated and used for generations to create rope and other hardy textiles. The association of the tool with the location makes sense but I do agree that naming the tool for its function rather than what we believe might be its origin is the way to go. Though it may not be the original intended use for the tool, I do have to hand it to the spinners who use it, give our folks a stick and a means to generate spin and they will make yarn!
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@heatergrn · 1 month ago
By all means, do more rabbit hole videos! I love "nerding out" videos about fiber art history! I'll be watching.
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@livia_1990 · 1 month ago
Thank you for fighting against misinformation! ❤
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@karlaclifford5960 · 1 month ago
I can see me hitting my nose with this! 😂
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@caitlinbeck7281 · 1 month ago
Our cat has an emotional support Christmas stocking that she brought with her from her previous foster homes. It is very adorable.
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@aw2598 · 1 month ago
1.) I love that you made your cat's Emotional Support Lemon.<br>2.) Love as, while you are wildly spinning the spinny thing, your smile says "This is fine. Everything is FINE."
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