The nimble fingers of Ernesto Vasquez G. worked with precision as he shuttled the woolen wrapped cock between the loomed threads. His wife, Hermanita, drew raw wool shreds between two coarse, short-wired boards, in a process called carding, removing natural impurities to prepare the wool for spinning. Their four year old daughter looked on, as her wide, black eyes absorbed the task that will pass to her hands in a few years. Like generations before her, the art of weaving rugs in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico involves every Zapotec family in the barrio and every family member, without exception, plays a role in the process.
Driving through the Oaxaca Valley, we felt sheltered but isolated by the majestic Sierra Madre Mountain Range, which enveloped the land.
These impervious walls of trees and rock had protected the secrets of the Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec and Aztec peoples for 2000 years. Secrets, when combined with workmanship, imagination and ingenuity produced unparalleled, artistic crafts, now renowned and coveted world-wide. We veered off the macadam road onto a two-lane, poorly maintained, dusty passage. Intersecting dirt paths, pocked by rainy season ruts and ramshackle, partially constructed houses provided the backdrop. At first glance, the lure of Teotitlan del Valle remained hidden. The abodes appeared unassuming and dull; hand worked fields of uneven corn rows lined the roadways; the cactus dotted landscape, strewn with ubiquitous plastic bags destroyed any
concept of "charming." Then hints of mastery and brilliance fluttered in the slight breeze. Woolen rugs, woven in vibrant colors and intricate designs hung from hemp ropes strung across each door way.
These textile masterpieces jumped out like paintings that come alive on canvas. The prize revealed, our attention shifted to the art of weaving which this indigenous, Zapotec civilization developed as part of their cultural heritage and perfected through generations to present day. The Zapotecs represent Mexico's largest indigenous group, numbering 400,000 living in the country's southern states.
Further into the village, we saw evidence that weaving occupied every household. Foot peddled, wooden looms of varying sizes graced each terrace and interior space. Zapotec women started weaving cactus fibers on back strap looms 1700 years ago. Tribal cloth production evolved as part of their cultural identity, as demand for these products climbed over the centuries due to quality, design and color. In 1535, the Dominican Bishop, Juan Lopez de Zarate, arrived at the village with two items that would change their lives forever. He brought from Spain borregas, sheep like animals that produced a fiber similar to wool and a two peddle wooden loom. Family division of labor abruptly changed. Men assumed the roles of weavers, traditionally considered women's' work, due to the arm strength required to work the looms. Women prepared the wool for weaving by carding, spinning and dyeing the wool strands. Children took on peripheral duties by age 6 and by age 20 achieved proficiency in all aspects of rug weaving.
Centuries before the loom's introduction, the village's people developed dye making techniques to color fibers for textiles. Using natural products such as indigo, coffee beans, onion skins, cochineal insects and nutshells, they produced 120 different tones from four basic colors. Today, the use of natural, colorfast dyes contributes to the fervor and zeal for Teotitilan del Valle rugs, sought by shoppers world-wide as the finest example of hand loomed rugs in this hemisphere.
We questioned how the town's inhabitants avoided influence from outsiders and how the art of weaving remained universal. The land in Teotitlan del Valle is designated as communal. Only individuals with proven Zapotec ancestry can buy property here, while all community departments including mayor, street maintenance, and security are handled by residents in unpaid labor known as tequio. In addition to the communal administrative jobs, voluntary officials must fit in their farming and rug making duties around the responsibilities of running the village. Outsiders may not live here. Their closed society lessens the erosion of traditional, cultural values. If you visit Teotitlan del Valle, chances are you came to buy rugs.
Ernesto Vasquez G. reflected that his family has been making loomed rugs for 200 years here. He proudly displayed a rug made 180 years ago by familial ancestors. The workshop, Casa Vasquez, located on the edge of the barrio experienced huge expansion over the past several years and provides a large room for demonstration, a reception hall and rug display center, a restaurant serving Zapotec food, and housing for the 36 Vasquez family members involved in the business. Each family handed their own designs down through the generations, although, due to consumer demand, contemporary patterns have been introduced. Zapotec, a tonal language similar to Chinese, remains the native tongue, while Spanish is learned for business purposes. Depending on the design, and number of threads used (9 or 18 for tighter weave), one medium sized rug takes 60 days to weave. Price is determined by size, design, and dye colors used. Red tones made from the cochineal insect, require the most intensive dye process, and therefore bring the highest prices. Political unrest in Oaxaca over the past year dramatically cut tourist trade and direct on-site marketing of the weavings suffered. The Vasquez family understood the need to update their business tools with 21st century technology, without compromising the integrity of the weaving process used for generations. Internet sales, a web site and credit card services provided the world-wide public the opportunity to add these works of art to their personal collection without making the trip. These steps, not easy tasks in a remote Mexican barrio, saved their business, while allowing their cultural tradition of weaving to thrive unaltered.
My initial pilgrimage to Teotitlan del Valle occurred in 1992. The three carpets I purchased then have graced the hallway floors of two homes and withstood foot traffic in our home for 15 years. Now they have traveled full circle, 2800 miles back to Mexico to their permanent resting place in our retirement home in Lake Chapala, Jalisco. The weaves remain tight and the dyes remain vibrant. The colorful, textured companions added from this recent visit evoke a special meaning. Works of art, underfoot, woven by skillful Zapotec people now top the list of treasures that I plan to hand down to my grandchildren. These rugs will weave their own way through generations to come. If you visit, Casa Vasquez Arte Popular, Av. Juarez 138, Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, C.P.70420 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
