“In my Yucatecan land we welcome you with joy, waiting with anticipation your wonderful attire,” excerpt from the song “Guayabera Mía” by José Eduardo Chan Kau.
This item of clothing is the king of masculine fashion in the Caribbean, and in Tekit, Yucatán, you’ll find a real paradise of factories that make this iconic shirt.
Guayabera, a standard in dress code
Known worldwide as a garment associated with Cuba and Latin America, easily identifiable by its four pockets and two rows of pleats, the guayabera is a fashionable and indispensable piece of clothing in every Yucatecan man’s wardrobe, a standard in the dress code for weddings and social events in Yucatán, and an excellent option for a gift.
Tekit, Guayabera Capital
If Izamal and Kimbilá are reference points for the female textile industry with their embroidered blouses, hipiles, and ternos, Tekit is the place for male clothing items such as guayaberas and Filipinas. This municipality, located 60 km from Mérida, belonged to the so-called “zona henequenera de Yucatán,” and continues to some extent its agricultural calling, harversting corn, beans, habanero chile, and tropical fruits such as watermelon. Nowadays it is the epicenter of the guayabera production in the state, with more than 200 workshops that manufacture this garment.
Tekit “the scattered place”, situated in the south central area of Yucatán, has as neighbours the municipalities of Tecoh, Homún, Mayapán, Chumayel, and Sotuta. It belongs to the Convent Route; you can visit the San Cristóbal Chapel and the ex-convent of San Antonio de Padua, rebuilt in the 16th century. Each year during the first week of June the town celebrates a traditional party with “vaquería,” sport, and cultural activities honoring San Antonio.
Since the 70’s the calling of this community has been transformed from agriculture and henequén to the manufacture of clothing in family workshops that little by little have become middle-sized industries that employ men and women. A majority of the population works in the crafting of the guayabera. The residents of Tekit have the calling of producing and maintaining this garment that has won the label of “traditional” in Yucatán.
The Guayabera Workshop
The hierarchy inside a workshop is highly specialized: there are groups of seamsters, assemblers (people who stitch the fabric’s pieces together), the people who sew on the buttons, and the ones who give the final details to the garments, everything with the assistance of the sewing machine.
Wandering through the main streets around Tekit’s plaza, besides the opportunity of looking at the ex-convent and the church in honor of San Antonio de Padua, you will find factories and stores with a wide variety of guayaberas, made out of cotton or linen, with a diverse range of colors and sizes: a true shopping paradise for buying as many guayaberas as you want.
While in Tekit…
Also, Tekit has cenotes you can visit; the most popular are known as Bekal and Xpakay, for their easy access. You can practice ecotourism and hiking in the area; ask the locals for information, they will kindly point you in the right direction.
Visit Tekit and get your guayabera, because if you visit Yucatán you can’t leave without one…or more! Also available in Mérida at G. Candila guayabera shops.
Editorial by Violeta H. Cantarell
Photos by G. Candila Guayaberas for Yucatan Today’s use
Guayabera Factories in Mérida:
G. Candila
Tel. (999) 981 58 42
Lada sin costo 01 800 9653266
[email protected]
www.guayabera.com.mx
Guayaberas Canul
Calle 57 #508 x 62 y 64, Col. Centro
Mérida, Yucatán
Tel. (999) 923 5661
FB: Guayaberas Canul
www.camiseriacanul.com.mx
Guayaberas Jack
Calle 59 #507-A x 62 y 60
Centro, Mérida, Yuc.
Tel. (999) 928 6002
FB: Guayaberas Jack
Tsibuk
Tel. (999) 948 0163
[email protected]
FB: tsikbuk
Guayabera Factories in Tekit:
Auténtica Guayaberas en Tekit
Calle 25 #199-A x 28 y 30 Col. Centro
CP 97680 Tekit, Yucatán
Tel. (997) 101 5878
Diseños De Bordados y Guayaberas Diplomatica Yucateca
Calle 21 x 28 y 30 sin número
CP 97680 Tekit, Yucatán
FB: Diseños De Bordados y Guayaberas Diplomatica Yucateca
Guayaberas Alonzo
Calle 28 sin número x 13 y 15
CP 97680 Tekit, Yucatán
Tel. (997) 122 0222
FB: Guayaberas Alonzo
Guayaberas Chab
Calle 9 x 22 y 24 sin número
CP 97680 Tekit, Yucatán
Cel. 999 396 8521
FB: Guayaberas Chab
Guayaberas Dzibilchaltun
Calle 30 #215 x 29 y 31
Col. San Juan, Tekit, Yucatán
Tel. (999) 357 8144 / (997) 114 5084
Cel. 9979 7166 79
Lada sin costo: 01 800 838-0240
[email protected]
www.guayaberasdzibilchaltun.com
Guayaberas Finas Caamal
Calle 30 x 15 y 17 Col. San Martin
Tekit, Yucatán
Tel. (999) 234-0559
[email protected]
www.guayaberasfinascaamal.com
Guayaberas Kit Chen
Tel. (997) 178 4183
FB: GuayaberasKitChen
Guayaberas Lara Sosa
Calle 27 x 22 y 24 Col. Centro
Tekit, Yucatán
Tel. (997) 107 2323
Tel. (999) 409 3916
FB: Guayaberas Lara Sosa
Guayaberas Ramón
Calle 23 #184 Centro
CP 97680 Tekit, Yucatán
Tel. (997) 118 5048
[email protected]
www.guayaberasramon.com
Guayabera Factories in Tekax:
Guayaberas Tekax A & J
Calle 51
CP 97970 Tekax, Yucatan
Tel. (997) 105 6822
FB: Guayaberas Tekax A & J
Esta entrada también está disponible en: ES
Can you please give me the names and contact information to these guayabera manufacturers. I am thinking of opening a guayabera retail in San Diego, California.
Hi Gustavo, you can contact G Candila, a Guayabera Factory. Tel. 01 800 9653266. For more information about guayabera manufacturers, we recommend you visit the city of Tekit, Yucatán.