Clothing speaks to us. We are drawn to the texture of cloth, the cut, the fit, the drape, the patterns and what this might say to us. Here, in the Chiapas Highlands in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, and beyond into the surrounding pueblos where Maya women work on the back-strap loom, cloth has ceremonial and spiritual meaning. It tells a story of the natural world and the environment. Woven into the cloth or embroidered afterward, the symbols tell us about the Lord of the Earth who holds up the universe, serpents, sun, moon, earth, sky, the four cardinal points, fertility, rain, seasons of planting and harvest, mountains, seeds, and much more.
Cloth here is a visual presentation of all that is important in the universe. The ancient Maya marked time by the sun, moon, and stars. Corn in all its colorful varieties is in the cloth, too: red, yellow, black, purple, white, pink, cream. The diamond pattern is represented as the four cardinal points, a way to express the order of the universe and how humans fit into it. Sometimes a symbol represents orchids and bromeliads, a highlands rainforest vegetation prevalent in these parts. If a huipil is more elaborate and includes special designs, this signifies the social and community stature of the person wearing it.
If there are small stars woven into the huipil, the maker is telling us she is praying for rain. A large, two-headed serpent represents the connection to earth and sky. Often, human figures are woven into the last line of the fabric — telling us that the world is in the hands of the Lord of the Earth. We must steward what we have inherited.
We learn this during our visit with designer-weaver Alberto Lopez Gomez, who we have been visiting in Chiapas for four years. Alberto participates in NY Fashion Week and is a member of the Original planning team. Original is a Mexican government Minister of Culture program to support the indigenous designs of Mexico’s artisans. Over 1,000 artisans participate in November featuring ceramics, textiles, palm weaving, copper, mask making, and jewelry.
Alberto tells us that dreams are an important vehicle for Maya people to know the path they should take. Dreams are reflected in the textiles — what is included to represent and how they are appear in the cloth. In Magdalena Aldama, the patron saint is the Virgin of Magdalena. At age 19 Alberto asked the virgin for permission to learn how to weave, something unusual for men. He mastered the process in two months!
We will be offering a 2024 Chiapas Textile Study Tour. Come with us. Add your name to the interested list by sending us an email.
Clothing speaks to us. We are drawn to the texture of cloth, the cut, the fit, the drape, the patterns and what this might say to us. Here, in the Chiapas Highlands in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, and beyond into the surrounding pueblos where Maya women work on the back-strap loom, cloth has ceremonial and spiritual meaning. It tells a story of the natural world and the environment. Woven into the cloth or embroidered afterward, the symbols tell us about the Lord of the Earth who holds up the universe, serpents, sun, moon, earth, sky, the four cardinal points, fertility, rain, seasons of planting and harvest, mountains, seeds, and much more.
Cloth here is a visual presentation of all that is important in the universe. The ancient Maya marked time by the sun, moon, and stars. Corn in all its colorful varieties is in the cloth, too: red, yellow, black, purple, white, pink, cream. The diamond pattern is represented as the four cardinal points, a way to express the order of the universe and how humans fit into it. Sometimes a symbol represents orchids and bromeliads, a highlands rainforest vegetation prevalent in these parts. If a huipil is more elaborate and includes special designs, this signifies the social and community stature of the person wearing it.
If there are small stars woven into the huipil, the maker is telling us she is praying for rain. A large, two-headed serpent represents the connection to earth and sky. Often, human figures are woven into the last line of the fabric — telling us that the world is in the hands of the Lord of the Earth. We must steward what we have inherited.
We learn this during our visit with designer-weaver Alberto Lopez Gomez, who we have been visiting in Chiapas for four years. Alberto participates in NY Fashion Week and is a member of the Original planning team. Original is a Mexican government Minister of Culture program to support the indigenous designs of Mexico’s artisans. Over 1,000 artisans participate in November featuring ceramics, textiles, palm weaving, copper, mask making, and jewelry.
Alberto tells us that dreams are an important vehicle for Maya people to know the path they should take. Dreams are reflected in the textiles — what is included to represent and how they are appear in the cloth. In Magdalena Aldama, the patron saint is the Virgin of Magdalena. At age 19 Alberto asked the virgin for permission to learn how to weave, something unusual for men. He mastered the process in two months!
We will be offering a 2024 Chiapas Textile Study Tour. Come with us. Add your name to the interested list by sending us an email.
We do a full-circle over ten days, starting in Mexico City to explore the art of the Mexican Muralists https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_muralism concentrating on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Then, we move on to Puebla, where Talavera tile was introduced by Moorish artisans to build this new Spanish city at the strategic crossroad between CDMX and Veracruz. Here, pottery, antiques, innovative cuisine, and compelling museums await us. In Tlaxcala, an independent city-state before the conquest, we find the artisan weaving studio of Netzahualcoyotl where traditional serapes made with natural dyes are rediscovered from ancient murals. For inspiration, the studio studies the frescoes of two nearby archeological sites which we visit, too. We return you to the Mexico City airport for home or to go on to discover more of Mexico.
Wednesday, January 31: Travel to CDMX, check in to our hotel in Mexico City’s historic center, meet for a no-host dinner at 6:00 p.m. in hotel lobby with those who have arrived by late afternoon.
Overnight in Mexico City. Meals included: None
Mexico City
Thursday, February 1: In Mexico City, we concentrate on the art history of Mexican Muralism movement and the beginnings of the new Republic in the era following the 10-year Mexican Revolution of 1910. Here, we focus on the work of Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, plus the surrealist paintings and life of Frida Kahlo.
Frida Kahlo Calderon, our muse and heroine
After breakfast, we begin the day with a private tour of Rivera’s earliest Mexico City murals at the Secretariat de Educacion Publica (SEP), move on to the murals at Colegio San Ildefonso where student Frida Kahlo first met Rivera, and then walk to the nearby Abelardo Rodriguez Market where US and European acolytes of Diego Rivera made their own mark with some extraordinary murals, including Pablo O’Higgins.
Overnight in Mexico City. Meals included: Breakfast and gala group welcome lunch
Friday, February 2: Today, after breakfast, we see Rivera’s outstanding murals at Palacio Bellas Artes, Palacio Nacional, and the Museo Mural de Diego Rivera. These murals, painted in the 1930’s and 1940’s, reflect Rivera’s maturity and development as a political activist. He depicts the history of the Conquest and the emergence of Mexico City as a vibrant center for artistic expression. After lunch, you may want to explore on your own Tenochtitlan, the ancient Aztec capital, which is now an outstanding archeological site two blocks from our hotel.
Overnight in Mexico City. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Saturday, February 3: We go first to the Bazaar Sabado in San Angel to explore a once-a-week contemporary art market that features designer clothing, folk and fine art, craft paintings. Then, we move to Coyoacan to have lunch before visiting Casa Azul, the home that Frida Kahlo shared with Diego Rivera, and where Leon Trotsky first stayed when he fled Russia. Frida Kahlo now claims more notoriety around the world than her famous husband, to whom she was married twice! We understand her life and art by visiting this outstanding property.
Overnight in Mexico City. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.
Sunday, February 4: Spend the day on your own in Mexico City. You may want to go to Tenochtitlan, Teotihuacan, or the archeological museum. You may want to see the Franz Mayer Museum or go to the Mercado San Juan. We meet together in late afternoon for a presentation of fine Mexican textiles by noted cultural anthropologist Marta Turok, and then gather for an early group dinner at one of the city’s most outstanding restaurants.
Overnight in Mexico City. Meals included: Breakfast and dinner.
Puebla
Monday, February 5: After a leisurely breakfast, we travel by van to the colonial city of Puebla. Here the Spanish built a new town at the crossroads between Veracruz and the now Pan-American Highway. We spend the afternoon on foot orienting you to Puebla. Stunning tile roofs and facades decorate colonial buildings, a technique brought to New Spain by the Moors. This is a foodie town, the birthplace of Chiles en Nogada, created by nuns to celebrate Mexican Independence from Spain in 1821. It is also the source of Mole Poblano, a mild, sweet chili sauce that pairs so well with any meat, fish, and vegetables. We will focus on the ceramics, textiles, and colonial influences in Puebla.
Overnight in Puebla. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.
Tuesday, February 6: Today, we set out to Cholula, an original pueblo and archeological site with an amazing, gilded church built atop the pre-Hispanic temple created by the local indigenous people to honor the god Quetzalcoatl. This site is still recognized as the largest pyramid in the entire world by total volume in cubic meters. Climb to the top to experience stunning views of the surrounding area. Then, wander Cholula to explore boutiques and ancient churches. On our return to Puebla, we make a stop at Talavera de la Reina workshop.
Overnight in Puebla. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.
Tlaxcala
Wednesday, February 7: After breakfast, we continue our explorations with artisan and Talavera ceramic tile visits, then enjoy a Goodbye Puebla gala lunch at an outstanding, award-winning restaurant. In the afternoon, we travel by van to Tlaxcala and check-in to our hotel. Evening free to wander the historic city. Overnight in Tlaxcala. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.
Thursday, February 8: After breakfast, we go to two very important Tlaxcala archeological sites that provide inspiration to the weavers we visit later today – Cacaxtla and Xochitecatl. Frescoes painted on ancient walls in natural pigments depict life and ceremonies before the Conquest. Tlaxcala was a pre-Hispanic city-state led by Chief Xicotencatl who wanted to retain independence from the Aztecs, so they sided with the Spanish to overturn the empire. They were handsomely rewarded as a result and lived peaceably for generations.
After lunch, we meet with Netzahualcoyotl design and weaving studio. This studio, in operation since the late 1800’s, has revived the Mexican serape with innovate designs using all natural dyes. They have exhibited at Original and are recognized by the Mexican government as an important contributor to indigenous culture. In addition, Norma wrote an article for Selvedge Magazine, an international textile publication, that was featured in the November 2022 issue
Overnight in Tlaxcala. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, gala final dinner
Friday, February 9: After breakfast, We will explore historic Tlaxcala together in the morning; the afternoon is on your own. Time to do some packing and shipping. We’ll have a late afternoon Regrets Sale, followed by the Grand Finale dinner.
Overnight in Tlaxcala. Meals included: Breakfast grand gala final dinner
Saturday, February 10: Depart. we return you by van to Benito Juarez International Airport in CDMX for your flights home. Please do not schedule flights to depart before 3:00 p.m. or you may choose to spend the night at the Camino Real Hotel at the airport.
Departure day. Meals included: Breakfast
Cost to Participate
$3,395 shared double room with private bath (sleeps 2)
$4,195 for a single supplement (private room and bath, sleeps 1)
Your Oaxaca Cultural Navigator: Eric Chavez Santiago
Eric Chavez Santiago is a Oaxaca Cultural Navigator partner with Norma Schafer. He joined us in 2022. Eric is an expert in Oaxaca and Mexican textiles and folk art with a special interest in artisan development and promotion. He is a weaver and natural dyer by training and a fourth-generation member of a distinguished weaving family, the Fe y Lola textile group. He and his wife Elsa Sanchez Diaz started Taller Teñido a Mano dye studio where they produce naturally dyed yarn skeins and textiles for worldwide distribution. He is trilingual, speaking Zapotec, Spanish and English and is a native of Teotitlan del Valle. He is a graduate of Anahuac University, founder of the Museo Textil de Oaxaca education department, and former managing director of the Harp Helu Foundation folk-art gallery Andares del Arte Popular. He has intimate knowledge of local traditions, culture, and community and personally knows all the artisans we visit on this tour.
Oaxaca Cultural Navigator Founder Norma Schafer may participate in all or part of this tour.
Reservations and Cancellations. A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to guarantee your place. The balance is due in two equal payments. The second payment of 50% of the balance is due on or before August 15, 2023. The third payment, 50% balance, is due on or before November 15, 2023. We accept payment using Zelle, Venmo, PayPal or Square. For a Zelle transfer, there is no service fee. We add a 3% service fee to use Venmo, PayPal or Square. We will send you a request for funds to make your deposit when you tell us you are ready to register.
After November 15, 2023, there are no refunds. If you cancel on or before November 15, 2023, we will refund 50% of your deposit received to date (less the $500 non-refundable deposit). After that, there are no refunds UNLESS we cancel for any reason. If we cancel, you will receive a full 100% refund.*
Required–Travel Health/Accident Insurance: We require that you carry international accident/health insurance that includes $50,000+ of emergency medical evacuation insurance. Check out Forbes Magazine for best travel insurance options. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/best-travel-insurance/
Proof of insurance must be sent at least 45 days before departure.
About COVID. Covid is still with us, and new variants continue to arise. We request proof of lastest COVID-19 vaccination and all boosters to be sent 45 days before departure. We ask that you test two days before traveling to the tour, and that you send us the results. During the tour, we ask that you do a self-test 48 hours after arrival and then periodically thereafter if you feel you have been exposed. Facemasks are strongly suggested for van travel, densely populated market visits, and artisan visits that are held indoors. We ask this to keep all travelers safe, and to protect indigenous populations who are at higher risk. Many Mexicans have not had access to vaccine or boosters, and the only available vaccines widely used here are from China, which do not provide adequate protection.
Be certain your passport has at least six months on it before it expires from the date you enter Mexico! It’s a Mexico requirement.
Arrive on Saturday, January 13 and depart on Monday, January 22, 2024 — 9 nights, 10 days in textile heaven!
We go deep, and not wide. We give you an intimate, connecting experience. We spend time to know the culture. You will meet artisans in their homes and workshops, enjoy local cuisine, dip your hands in an indigo dye-bath, and travel to remote villages you may never get to on your own. This study tour focuses on revival of ancient textile techniques and Oaxaca’s vast weaving culture that encompasses the use of natural dyes, back-strap loom weaving, drop spindle hand spinning, and glorious, pre-Hispanic native cotton in warm brown called coyuchi, verde (green) and creamy white. We cover vast distances on secondary roads, traveling to secluded mountain villages. This tour is for the most adventurous textile travelers! For hardy travelers only!
At Oaxaca Cultural Navigator, we aim to give you an unparalleled and in-depth travel experience to participate and delve deeply into indigenous culture, folk art and celebrations. To register, please complete the Registration Form and email it to us. When you tell us you are ready to register, we will send you a request to make your reservation deposit.
Cost is $3,395 per person shared room or $4,195 per person for private room. See details and itinerary below.
This entire study tour is focused on exploring the textiles of Oaxaca’s Costa Chica. You arrive to and leave from Puerto Escondido (PXM), connecting through Mexico City or Oaxaca. You might like to read about why on the Oaxaca coast, it’s about the cloth, not the cut.
Villages along the coast and neighboring mountains were able to preserve their traditional weaving culture because of their isolation. The Spanish could not get into those villages until the late 18th century. Much now is the same as it was then. Stunning cotton is spun and woven into lengths of cloth connected with intricate needlework to form amazing garments. Beauty and poverty are twin sisters here.
What we do:
We visit 7 weaving villages in Oaxaca and Guerrero
We meet back-strap loom weavers, natural dyers, spinners
We see, touch, smell native Oaxaca cotton — brown, green, natural
We participate in a sea turtle release with sunset dinner on the beach
We swim in a rare bioluminescence lagoon
We visit three local markets to experience daily life
We travel to remote regions to discover amazing cloth
We learn about Afro-Mexican identity on the Pacific Coast
We support indigenous artisans directly
We escape WINTER in El Norte
Take this study tour to learn about:
the culture, history, and identity of cloth
beating and spinning cotton, and weaving with natural dyes
native seed preservation and cultivation
clothing design and construction, fashion adaptations
symbols and meaning of regional textile designs
choice of colors and fibers that show each woman’s aesthetic while keeping with a particular village traje or costume
the work of women in pre-Hispanic Mexico and today
PRELIMINARY ITINERARY
Saturday, January 13: Fly to Puerto Escondido—overnight in Puerto Escondido, Group Welcome Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Meals included: Dinner
Sunday, January 14: Puerto Escondido market meander, lunch, and afternoon on your own. Late afternoon departure for turtle release and Manialtepec bioluminescence lagoon with beach dinner. Overnight in Puerto Escondido. Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Monday, January 15: Depart after breakfast for Tututepec to visit a young Mixtec weaver who is reviving his village’s textile traditions, visit local museum and murals. We will enjoy a home-cooked meal with a regional mole dish prepared by the family. Travel by van several hours north to Ometepec, Guerrero. Overnight in Ometepec. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Tuesday, January 16: After breakfast, we go to Zacoalpan, a bygone Amusgo village where Jesus Ignacio and his family weave native coyuchi, green and natural white cotton to make traditional huipiles. They are rescuing designs from fragments of ancient cloth. Then, we have lunch in nearby Xochistlahuaca with an outstanding weaving cooperative that creates glorious, diaphanous textiles embellished with a palette of colorful designs reflecting the flora of the region. Overnight in Ometepec.
Wednesday, January 17: After breakfast, we visit downtown Ometepec , then make a stop at the Afro-Mexican Museum to learn about the rich cultural history and traditions of the region populated by Mexicans whose roots are from Africa and the slave trade. We continue to Pinotepa Nacional for a late lunch and to check into our hotel. Enjoy an expoventa and demonstration with embroiderers. Overnight in Pinotepa Nacional. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.
Thursday, January 18: After breakfast, we explore the Pinotepa Nacional market, the largest in the region, where you may find hand-woven agave fiber tote bags, masks, textiles, and embroidered collars, as well as household goods and food. Then, we travel about an hour to the weaving village of San Juan Colorado for a home cooked lunch and visit two women’s cooperatives working in natural dyes, hand-spinning, and back strap loom weaving. Overnight in Pinotepa Nacional. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Friday, January 19: After breakfast, we go back up the mountain to the village of Pinotepa de Don Luis to meet noted weavers who work with naturally dyed cotton. Here, we will see jicara gourd carvers, too, who make jewelry and serving containers. We have lunch with Tixinda Cooperative members who are licensed to harvest the purple snail dye. In this village, the almost extinct caracol purpura snail is the traditional color accent for many textiles. Overnight in Pinotepa Nacional. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch
Saturday, January 20: After breakfast, we begin our return to Puerto Escondido, a two-and-a-half-hour van ride. The rest of the day is on your own to explore, relax and pack. Lunch and dinner on your own. Overnight in Puerto Escondido. Meals included: Breakfast
Sunday, January 21: This is a free day to return to the market, pack, relax and enjoy the beach across the street from the hotel, or the two swimming pools on the property. We gather at 5:30 p.m. for our Grand Finale Celebration Dinner. Overnight in Puerto Escondido. Meals included: Breakfast and dinner
Monday, January 22: Depart for home. Meals included: None
Note: You can add days on to the tour — arrive early or stay later — at your own expense. We also suggest you arrive a day early (your own hotel expense) to avoid any unforeseen winter flight delays.
Cost to Participate
$3,395 shared double room with private bath (sleeps 2)
$4,195 for a single supplement (private room and bath, sleeps 1)
Your Oaxaca Cultural Navigator: Eric Chavez Santiago
Eric Chavez Santiago is a Oaxaca Cultural Navigator partner with Norma Schafer. He joined us in 2022. Eric is an expert in Oaxaca and Mexican textiles and folk art with a special interest in artisan development and promotion. He is a weaver and natural dyer by training and a fourth-generation member of a distinguished weaving family, the Fe y Lola textile group. He and his wife Elsa Sanchez Diaz started Taller Teñido a Mano dye studio where they produce naturally dyed yarn skeins and textiles for worldwide distribution. He is trilingual, speaking Zapotec, Spanish and English and is a native of Teotitlan del Valle. He is a graduate of Anahuac University, founder of the Museo Textil de Oaxaca education department, and former managing director of the Harp Helu Foundation folk-art gallery Andares del Arte Popular. He has intimate knowledge of local traditions, culture, and community and personally knows all the artisans we visit on this tour.
Oaxaca Cultural Navigator Founder Norma Schafer may participate in all or part of this tour.
We have invited a noted cultural anthropologist to travel with us. She did her thesis in a nearby textile village and has worked in the region for the past 15 years. She knows the textile culture and people intimately, too. Together, we learn about and discuss motifs, lifestyle, endangered species, quality, and value of direct support.
We sell out each year so don’t hesitate to make your registration deposit ASAP if you are interested in participating.
Anyone who loves cloth, culture, and collaboration
Full Registration Policies, Procedures and Cancellations– Please READ
Reservations and Cancellations. A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to guarantee your place. The balance is due in two equal payments. The second payment of 50% of the balance is due on or before August 1, 2023. The third payment, 50% balance, is due on or before November 1, 2023. We accept payment using Zelle, Venmo, PayPal or Square. For a Zelle transfer, there is no service fee. We add a 3% service fee to use Venmo, PayPal or Square. We will send you a request for funds to make your deposit when you tell us you are ready to register.
After November 1, 2023, there are no refunds. If you cancel on or before November 1, 2023, we will refund 50% of your deposit received to date (less the $500 non-refundable deposit). After that, there are no refunds UNLESS we cancel for any reason. If we cancel, you will receive a full 100% refund.*
Required–Travel Health/Accident Insurance: We require that you carry international accident/health insurance that includes $50,000+ of emergency medical evacuation insurance. Check out Forbes Magazine for best travel insurance options. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/best-travel-insurance/
Proof of insurance must be sent at least 45 days before departure.
About COVID. Covid is still with us and new variants continue to arise. We request proof of lastest COVID-19 vaccination and all boosters to be sent 45 days before departure. We ask that you test two days before traveling to the tour, and that you send us the results. During the tour, we ask that you do a self-test 48 hours after arrival and then periodically thereafter if you feel you have been exposed. Facemasks are strongly suggested for van travel, densely populated market visits, and artisan visits that are held indoors. We ask this to keep all travelers safe, and to protect indigenous populations who are at higher risk.
Be certain your passport has at least six months on it before it expires from the date you enter Mexico! It’s a Mexico requirement.
Posted onSunday, February 5, 2023|Comments Off on On the Oaxaca Coast, It’s About the Cloth, Not the Cut
On the Oaxaca Coast, it’s about the cloth, not the cut. Why? Because lengths of cloth meticulously woven on the back strap loom are never cut. They are squares and rectangles that are joined together at right angles to create a garment. The garment construction never has darts, either. Nor is it form-fitting. Plus, the finish work is all done by hand. Women who weave on the Oaxaca coast and elsewhere in Mexico believe the cloth is a reflection of their souls and has spiritual, mystical symbolism. A cut in the cloth is a travesty that would never be acceptable. In thinking about this, I recall it’s been about fifty years since I’ve seen a self-made button hole on any garment in the USA. I learned to make these in junior high school home economics, but it seems the skill may be lacking now or that fast fashion prevents this attention to detail. I don’t attend the Paris Couture shows, so don’t know if a multi-thousand dollar jacket even has button holes or how they are made!
Years back, for her thesis, the Mexico City designer Carla Fernandez wrote a book, now out of print, Taller Flora, in 2006. If you can find a used copy somewhere and you are interested in indigenous clothing construction and design, you might try to find this online, though the price will be hefty!
So, to go with us on the Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour is to go deeply into indigenous weaving and natural dyeing culture that includes how ancient garments, still made and used today, are made. I’m writing this because in Western fashion, we are so concerned with fit and the shape of our form. If something doesn’t fit right, we are inclined to be self-critical about our body shape rather than the inherent beauty of how it is made. Here, we can focus on the quality of the weaving, the meaningful designs incorporated in the cloth using a weaving technique call embordado or supplementary weft, and the drape of the cloth, rather than if it hugs our body (for good or bad!). This clothing frees us to focus on something else rather than body image.
Often, when people first look at a handwoven textile, they think the design embedded in the cloth is embroidered, a surface design technique of stitching on a piece of plain weave. Not so here! Cloth is woven on a loom that is warped with thread. Then, the weft, or horizontal threads are added row by row. This is a long process and it can take several months to make two, four or six wefts or lengths of cloth to construct a huipil, depending on the desired width of the finished piece. The designs integrated into the cloth are part of the weaving process. Individual threads are added, again row by row, to form a pattern that women keep in their heads. I think it is part of their DNA, something learned from mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers. The cloth is their heritage.
2024 Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour coming soon! Get on the list. Send an email.
Almost all these garments are cotton, though some can be made with wool. The Spaniards brought sheep to the Americas and native peoples loved the warmth the cloth provided. Before that, everything here was pre-Hispanic native cotton, which we find cultivated and used in villages along the Oaxaca coast foothills. Becoming more rare now is the coyuchi (native brown cotton the color of a coyote), green cotton (pale mint or military green), and creamy white cotton.
All of these must be grown, harvested, picked clean of seeds, beaten to separate and soften the fibers, hand-spun using the malacate (drop spindle), formed into balls, wrapped onto spindles, and then woven into cloth. Even before the weaving begins, this is a labor-intensive process. Often, the white cotton is dyed with natural materials: wild marigold, indigo, cochineal, tree bark, squash pulp, caracol purpura purple snails, leaves and seeds of various fruits and vegetables. The dye materials need to be collected and prepared in dye vats. It is alchemy and chemistry. Then, according to the choice of each artisan, the threads are dyed before weaving or the garment is dyed after it is completed.
As we plan for our 2024 Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour, I write this to give you a sense of the importance of keeping this weaving culture viable. Very few indigenous women, except those in remote communities, continue to wear their distinctive clothing on a daily basis, instead saving them for fiestas and other special occasions. The garment they wove for their wedding will go to the grave with them. This is the reason very few vintage garments exist.
Appreciators and collectors of handmade textiles are doing much to revive interest and support the economy that gives women an opportunity to monetize their skills, encouraging them to continue the traditions. Most often, it is the women who are able to earn a cash income to supplement the work the men do as subsistence farmers. The men all grow the same food — corn, beans and squash — so there is no selling opportunity unless they take their produce to a regional market. It is the women who pay for the education and health care of their children, grandchildren, and aging parents. There is no social security in Mexico. Each family is responsible for taking care of their own.
We wrote a blog earlier this week about being a Oaxaca Fiberista. You might want to look at this for examples of garments, too.
What is a Study Tour: Our programs are designed as learning experiences, and as such we talk with weavers about how and why they create, what is meaningful to them in their designs, the ancient history of patterning and design, use of color, tradition and innovation, values and cultural continuity, and the social context within which they work. First and foremost, we are educators. Norma worked in top US universities for over 35 years and Eric founded the education department at Oaxaca’s textile museum. Our interest is in creating connection and artisan economic development.
Why We Left, Expat Anthology: Norma’s Personal Essay
Norma contributes personal essay, How Oaxaca Became Home
Norma Contributes Two Chapters!
Click image to order yours!
Norma Schafer and Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC has offered programs in Mexico since 2006. We have over 30 years of university program development experience. See my resume.
Study Toursd are personally curated and introduce you to Mexico's greatest artisans. They are off-the-beaten path, internationally recognized. We give you access to where people live and work. Yes, it is safe and secure to travel. Groups are limited in size for the most personal experience.
Programs can be scheduled to meet your travel plans. Send us your available dates.
Designers, retailers, wholesalers, universities and other organizations come to us to develop weaving relationships, customized itineraries, study abroad programs, meetings and conferences. It's our pleasure to make arrangements.
Select Clients
*Selvedge Magazine-London, UK
*Esprit Travel and Tours
*Penland School of Crafts
*North Carolina State University
*WARP Weave a Real Peace
*Methodist University
*MINNA-Goods
*Smockingbird Kids
We offer textile experiences in our studio where we weave and work only in natural dyes.You can see the process during our textile tours, dye workshops or customized weaving experiences. Ask us for more information about these experiences, customized scheduling, and prices.
One-Day Custom Tours: Tell Us When You Want to Go!
Oaxaca has the largest and most diverse textile culture in Mexico! Learn about it.
When you visit Oaxaca immerse yourself in our textile culture: How is indigenous clothing made, what is the best value, most economical, finest available. Suitable for adults only. Set your own dates.
1-Day OaxacaCity Collectors Textile Tour.Exclusive Access! We take you into the homes and workshops of Oaxaca State's prize-winning weavers. They come from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the Mixteca, Mixe, Amuzgos and Triqui areas and represent their weaving families and cooperatives here. For collectors, retailers, buyers, wholesalers, fashionistas.
February 21-March 1, 2023: Chiapas Textile Study Tour--Deep Into the Maya World Based in San Cristobal de las Casas, we travel to distant pueblos to meet extraordinary back strap loom weavers --Best of the Best! SOLD OUT
October 27, 2023: Day of the Dead Ocotlan Highway Tour. It’s Market Day! The biggest of the year. See special altar food and decor, visit artisans, explore culture, eat at a traditional open air cocina de humo (grill kitchen).
October 29, 2023: Teotitlan del Valle Altars and Studio Visits to natural dye and weaving artisans who invite you to their altar rooms to share family traditions. Meet a traditional beeswax candlemaker. Eat mole and mezcal in a local family comedor.
Go on all 3 Day of the Dead Tours -- Get a 10% Discount
2024 Tours Go Deep, Not Wide
January 13-21, 2024: Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour. Very popular! Get your deposit in to reserve. For intrepid travelers. Visit 7 back-strap loom weavers. Explore the culture of cloth and community. SIX SPACES OPEN!
Stay Healthy. Stay Safe. In Oaxaca, wear your mask. Questions? Want TO REGISTER or more info? Send an email to Norma Schafer.
Maps: Teotitlan + Tlacolula Market
We require 48-hour advance notice for map orders to be processed. We send a printable map via email PDF after your order is received. Please be sure to send your email address. Where to see natural dyed rugs in Teotitlan del Valle and layout of the Sunday Tlacolula Market, with favorite eating, shopping, ATMs. Click Here to Buy Map After you click, be sure to check PayPal to ensure your email address isn't hidden from us. We fulfill each map order personally. It is not automatic.
Dye Master Dolores Santiago Arrellanas with son Omar Chavez Santiago, weaver and dyer, Fey y Lola Rugs, Teotitlan del Valle
