Cecelia Bautista Caballero is an icon among the weavers of Mexico. She died last week in her village of Ahuiran surrounded by family in the Mexican tradition of sending her spirit on to the next world.
I met Cecelia some years ago when I first went to Michoacan to plan a tour that would focus on textiles, craft and the Monarch butterflies of the region. She was a stately, regal woman, warm and friendly, who welcomed us into her home and introduced us to her daughters, also very accomplished rebozo makers.
Cecilia was an innovator out of necessity. she began to incorporate feathers into the fringes of her rebozos as an expression of creativity, yes, and also because she ran out of money to buy more threads at the time. As they say, Necessity is the mother of invention. It definitely applies here.
Fundacion Banamex, the promoter of Mexican folk art to recognize the most talented in the nation, added Cecelia to their Grand Masters of Mexican Folk Art to honor her talent and her work.
Click here to see what I wrote about Cecelia in 2019.
Here is a photo tribute to Cecelia and her work. We will visit her family when we return to Ahuiran in February 2023 during Michoacan tour (we are sold out).
