I am Maria Del Carmen Parra Cano, known to most as Carmen. I am married to my amazing husband Brian and together we have two beautiful little girls, Yolehua Luna and Quizani Texcohtli. In my two and a half years as a stay-at-home-mom, I have been able to grow as a person and most importantly as a wife and mother. Prior to becoming a wife and mother, I worked in the non-profit area for over 10 year
s and have a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree in Non-profit Administration & Sociology. During that time, I also received a culinary degree from Scottsdale Culinary Institute and am currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administration,
This past year was difficult for our family with the unexpected passing of my mother, Maria Cristina Parra. My mother was a seamstress for over 40 years and brought her family to Arizona in order to sustain her family through the art of sewing. My mother made authentic mariachi suits, outfits for ballet folklorico, wedding dresses, quinceanera dresses, and much more. Her passing affected not only her children and grandchildren, but hundreds of clients and community members that considered her a friend. My mother made me my first ring sling which is made of Guatemalan fabric. It was given to me prior to my first daughter being born and I use it DAILY!! The tradition of using a rebozo or a wrap to carry our little ones is one of rich history and has been passed down from our ancestors for centuries. Being an active babywearing mom and seeing how this tradition is such a "trend" within mainstream society, I have created Indigena as a method to continue our traditions and support women along the way. In supporting women, I have started a partnership with a collective of traditional weavers in Guatemala who were left to sustain their community after losing coffee crops in the area due to a hurricane. These women use a traditional back-strap loom and a treadle foot loom. The collective is a member of the Fair Trade Federation.
