We are sweetening the deal with a deeper discount of 20% off on shop.oaxacaculture.com Offer is good only today and tomorrow, November 30 and December 1. Discount applies to everything: rugs, clothing, jewelry, home goods, and more.
Use Discount Codetake 20
When you buy on the shop, you can use your credit card or PayPal. There are no added service fees to you. All major credit cards accepted — Visa, Mastercard, American Express.
We are ready to mail to you and promise to ship within two business days of purchase.
Here are just a few of the more than 100 pieces we have available on the shop.
We are continuing to offer our shop.oaxacaculture.com artisan made goods through Friday, December 1. Use Discount Code thankful2023 for savings.
Today, we feature handmade, machine washable and dryable aprons from Oaxaca. We buy these from an artisan family in San Miguel del Valle, Oaxaca. They use a free-form embroidery sewing machine, which means there is no pre-programmed pattern. They guide the needle by hand to create these floral designs. We have two aprons that are lightly embroidered and two that are densely embroidered. We call these Fancy Aprons. Perfect for holiday adornment when you are serving that special meal to family and friends. Sizes range from small to large.
We’ve just added these five rugs to the Shop. Rugs are hand woven on a traditional 2-harness pedal loom in Teotitlan Del Valle, Oaxaca, by Eric Chavez Santiago. They are made with hand-spun churro sheep wool and dyed using all natural sources — cochineal, indigo, wild marigold and more!
These are sturdy enough to walk on and beautiful enough to hang on a wall. It takes about four weeks to prepare the yarn for dyeing and then to weave the piece, and then to finish off the edges.
Don’t miss the opportunity to take a discount using code thankful2023. We rarely discount!
These rugs and more are featured in our Shop. Go there for sizes and pricing.
Many of you know Eric. Not only is he a fine weaver, he is my godson and partner in Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC. Eric was born and raised in Teotitlan del Valle, and is the oldest son in the Fe y Lola weaving family. He started weaving at age eight and over the years developed a fine sense of design and use of color. When he was age 20, Eric began experimenting with cochineal and developed over 100 shades of red using different acids and bases.
With his encouragement, the family moved from using synthetic dyes to an all natural palette—sustainable, organic, environmentally responsible.
For the complete selection of rugs, and for more artisan made clothing, jewelry, home goods, go to shop.oaxacaculture.com
You can purchase using most credit cards and PayPal. There is no fee to you!
Our sale continues through December 1. Use Discount Code thankful2023. Everything on our shop is handmade and sourced from outstanding artisans we know personally in Oaxaca and Chiapas. Today, we are featuring four beautifully embroidered cotton shoulder bags with a floral motif. Each is a different color. These are perfect for around town or for evening dressing. They make great gifts, too. The bags are made by our friend Rosario, whose nickname is Chela, in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, where I live part of the year. They feature a lining with inside pocket and are big enough to hold a wallet, cell phone, and other necessary accessories. Chela is an excellent seamstress so these are well-made. I’ve worn mine for years!
We pride ourselves on buying direct from artisan makers. We know them and the quality of their work. We believe that by supporting makers we are contributing to the well-being of their children, families and communities. Many live in remote regions of Mexico where they have little or no access to those of us who appreciate and can purchase their work directly. In many communities, the men are subsistence farmers who raise the three sisters: beans, corn, and squash to feed their families. Women are able to find markets for what they make and can then raise the cash to pay for the cost of education, health care, and additional food to sustain them. When we bring small groups to visit, what we purchase is a benefit and a blessing. As we continue to give thanks in this season for the abundance in our lives, making a purchase here helps women and their families survive and thrive.
We’ve just added these beautiful handmade bags to the shop. More than 75 items are listed, including handwoven, naturally dyed rugs and wall-hangings by Eric Chavez Santiago, Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. Perhaps there is something you would like to embellish your holiday wardrobe or for gifting something special!
We know the culture! This is our land! We are locally owned and operated.
Eric Chavez Santiago is tri-lingual --Spanish, English, Zapotec.
Eric was founding director of education, Museo Textil de Oaxaca + folk art expert
Norma Schafer has lived in Oaxaca since 2005.
Norma is a seasoned university educator.
We have deep connections with artists and artisans.
63% of our travelers repeat -- high ratings, high satisfaction.
Wide ranging expertise: textiles, folk art, pottery, cultural wisdom.
We give you a deep immersion to best know Oaxaca and Mexico.
We organize private travel + tours for museums, arts, organizations, collectors + appreciators.
Creating Connectionand Meaning between travelers and with indigenous artisans. Meet makers where they live and work. Join small groups of like-minded explorers. Go deep into remote villages. Gain insights. Support cultural heritage and sustainable traditions. Create value and memories. Enjoy hands-on experiences. Make a difference.
What is a Study Tour: Our programs are learning experiences, and as such we talk with makers about how and why they create, what is meaningful to them, 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. We create connection.
OCN Creates Student Scholarship at Oaxaca Learning Center Giving back is a core value. Read about it here
Meet Makers. Make a Difference
Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC has offered programs in Mexico since 2006. We have over 30 years of university, textile and artisan development experience. See About Us.
Programs can be scheduled to meet your independent travel plans. Send us your available dates.
Arts organizations, museums, designers, retailers, wholesalers, curators, universities and others come to us to develop artisan relationships, customized itineraries, meetings and conferences. It's our pleasure to make arrangements.
Select Clients *Abeja Boutique, Houston *North Carolina Museum of Art *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 *University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
December 6-14: Oaxaca Textile Tour and Workshopsincluding dye and weaving workshops, Tlacolula market, spinning village visits, plus lots more. With Fiber Circle Studio, Petaluma, California. Registration open!
January 11-17, Deep Dive Into Oaxaca: Cooking, Culture + Craft.Take a cooking class and printmaking workshop, visit artisan studios, weavers, and potteries, eat street tacos, taste artisanal mezcal, shop at markets, and explore the depths. SOLD OUT
February 6-15:Guatemala Textile Study Tour: Cloth and Culture. Discover Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Panajachel, Chichicastenango Market, and visit Coban where they weave fine gauze cloth called pikbil. SOLD OUT
March 12-17: Deep Into the Mixteca Alta: Oaxaca Textile + Folk Art Study Tour 2025. This is cultural immersion at its best! Following the Dominican Route, we visit potteries, churches, Triqui weavers working in natural dyes, a cooperative in Tijaltepec that makes smocked blouses, the expansive Tlaxiaco Saturday Tianguis. Experience another side of Oaxaca.
October: Japan Folk Art and Textile Tour.ONE SPACE OPEN! Email us.
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.
One-Day Tours: Schedule When YOU Want to Go!
Ruta del Mezcal One-Day Tour.We start the day with a pottery master and then have lunch with a traditional Oaxaca Cook, who is the mole-making expert. In Mitla, we meet with our favorite flying shuttle loom weaver, and then finish off with a mezcal tasting at a palenque you may NEVER find on your own! Schedule at your convenience!
Teotitlan del Valle Map with select rug weavers, restaurants, village attractions
Tlacolula Market Map -- where to find food, shopping, ATMs, and more
Our Favorite Things to Do in Oaxaca -- eating, shopping, gallery hopping + more
We require 48-hour advance notice for 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. You can click here to Buy Map. After you click, you can check PayPal to double-check you included your email address. We fulfill each order personally. It is not automatic.
