We haven’t had any snow in Northern New Mexico since I arrived on November 19. It’s been sunny and unseasonably warm, with temperatures rising to the low 50’s. Great walking weather. At night, it dips down to the 30’s, just perfect for sleeping. I’m returning to Oaxaca on December 30, in time for our January 2, 2025, Women’s Creative Writing Workshop Retreat (we can accommodate one more person, if you are a last-minute decider!). My plan is to return to NM in early April to do my taxes and then go back until July. This is driven by (primarily) politics and climate. Since I’ve removed myself from WAPO and NYT alerts, and selectively reading Bulwark commentators, I’ve been feeling very calm. Mostly, I’m in a self-imposed news black hole. I know I have my head in the sand and one of these days, I’ll take it out and re-emerge into the world of fighting for justice, equality, and women’s health. For now, I’m content to look west out my kitchen window at the Rio Grande Gorge and east out my living room window at Taos Mountain, just barely snow-capped.
When I got to Taos I realized how many Oaxaca and Chiapas clothes were in my collection, most that I haven’t worn! I purchased them for their beauty, intricacy of weaving techniques, fine embroidery, and use of natural dyes. I have been fortunate to have met most of the people who made these garments. They live in remote villages and their families depend on the women for extra income that pays for health care, education, and food. One of my motivators, always, has been (and continues to be) to support indigenous makers throughout Mexico who are working to preserve traditional hand work.
This week, I’ll be offering a select part of my collection for sale. Scroll down. There are 17 pieces, priced at or below cost. More to come later this week. Keep your eyes open!
How to Buy: Send me an email to tell me which item(s) you want BY NUMBER and by name of item. Send me your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number. Tell me if you want to purchase using a Zelle transfer or a credit card. If you use a credit card, we add a 4% service fee. There is no extra fee for using Zelle. If you want Zelle, please tell me how your Zelle account is registered. For mailing, I will add a $14 packing and mailing charge. I am NOT putting these items for sale in the SHOP — only here!
Please purchase before December 18, 2024, when I’ll be preparing for the winter holidays and returning to Oaxaca for several months.
Thank you!
#1. From the Purepecha village of Ahuiran in Michoacan, Mexico, this amazing backstrap loomed poncho is embellished with dyed turkey feathers and fringes. It is made by Albertine Bautista Caballero, as talented as her more famous (now deceased) sister Cecelia Bautista Caballero, who created this pre-Hispanic method of individually tying the feathers individually into the warp threads. Measures 30″ wide x 30″ long. Sides are open. I could say, one size fits most! Just slip it over your head. Great holiday dressing. $395
#2. A ruana is a pre-Hispanic garment that is similar to a poncho, but the front is open and the back is closed. This 100% wool hand-woven ruana features two 17″ wide panels in the front, and the back measures 34″ across. Length is 36″ front and back. The sides are open. The front panels can hang loose or you can drape one or both across your shoulders. This piece is from San Andres Larrainzar, Chiapas, from a cooperative that does very fine work. $225
#3. In Chenalho, Chiapas, this intricate embroidery is called dog paw. I’ve watched women do this during our visits to a cooperative on the outskirts of the village. It takes more time than you can imagine. The inset bits of color create a stained glass effect in this textile. The embroidery is on striped commercial fabric that is a combo of cotton and polyester. This is exactly what women in the village wear. They do not make anything differently for the tourist market, as many villages do. Measures 28″ wide x 22″ long. $195
#4. Hand embroidered and back-strap loom woven blusa from the village of Jamiltapec on the Oaxaca Coast. The fabric is embellished with figures woven into the cloth. The bodice is decorated with embroidery designs specific to this area. Measures 24″ wide x 23″ long. $65
#5. The cross-stitched bodice and sleeves set off this stunning blouse from Michoacan. 100% cotton. This textile is top-quality with dense and detailed hand-work. Measure 22″ wide x 27″ long. $145
#6. This amazing and colorful (tangerine and pink) huipil is woven on the backstrap loom in San Juan Colorado on the Oaxaca Coast. We know about a designer who has replicated similar, calls it a kaftan and sells it online for over $750 USD. This is a fun dress to wear in summer; perfect for winter with a white heat-tech long sleeve T-shirt for extra warmth. Measures 23″ wide x 40″ long. $285
#7. Jewel tones define this blusa embroidered in the Oaxaca Isthmus in the village San Juan Guichicovi. Yes, it’s embroidered by machine, but this is different. Each seamstress embroiderer guides the needle by hand. It’s a free-form process that we consider made by hand. Measures 19-1/2″ wide x 23-1/2″ long. $145
#8 is from one of the finest weaving villages in Oaxaca, Pinotepa de Don Luis, high in the mountains above the coast. This is a six-weft piece joined with a very intricate stitch called randa. All the figures are woven into the cloth — called supplementary weft. Woven by Monica, the daughter-in-law of the purple snail dyer Don Habacuc. Measure 26″ wide x 37″ long. $385
#9. There are extraordinary embroiderers in villages all along the Oaxaca coast. A traditional motif is the double-headed eagle, replicated here in the center. They are flanked by two roosters. This is all hand-work. The red ribbon adds pizzazz. Base fabric is excellent quality commercial manta cotton. Measures 22″ wide x 38″ long. $65.
#10. A graphic beauty, this all-cotton blouse is woven on the back-strap loom in San Andres Larrainzar, Chiapas, from a cooperative we have been visiting for several years. Measures 23-1/4″ wide x 27″ long. $85
SOLD. #11. Khadi Oaxaca is an innovator in Oaxaca clothing design. They use the chakra (India’s spinning wheel) to process native white and coyuchi (brown) cotton into thread for weaving. This piece combines a warp of white thread with coyuchi cotton weft. The texture and softness is amazing. Measures 26″ wide x 34″ long. $195
#12. Embroidered whimsy from the Oaxaca coast. Look at the amazing detail on the collar with all the sea and land creatures from the neighborhood. On very good quality white manta cotton. Note the ribbon embellishments. 23″ wide x 24″ long. $125
#13. Ditto from #12. A different colorway in sunshine yellow with a square collar. Measures 24″ wide x 25″ long. $125
#13. This dress is hand-woven on the back strap loom in Zinacantan, Chiapas. It is an open weave which adds interest and texture. Here, you have two dresses in one. It’s reversible! Cotton. Suggest machine wash on cold separately or in a mesh laundry bag. 23-1/2×38. $125
#14. Rina is a weaver, dyer and designer. She is part of the Arte y Seda weaving family in Teotitlan del Valle. She designed and sewed this beautiful dress with hand-made shell button. The waist is 32” in circumference. The bodice is 22″ wide and 46” long. $165
#15. Fuschine dyed shawl, handwoven on the back strap loom in Santiago Ixtlayutla, near Pinotepa de Don Luis on the Oaxaca coast. Fuschine is not a natural dye but coveted by locals for its purple color. The designs in the cloth are woven with silk. This protein fiber absorbs the dye. The fabric is then carefully folded while wet so that the color intentionally bleeds mimicking the design on the cloth. Measures 24″ wide x 82″ long. $195
#16. Fuschine dye huipil, with stunning patterning woven into the cloth. Note the simple and beautifully executed randa (joining stitch). See #15 more more detailed description of the dye process. Measures 31″ wide x 48″ long. $495.
SOLD. #17. It’s rare to find this hand-woven textile from the Oaxaca coast. It is no longer being woven in its village of origin. We found this in a trunk on our last visit to Pinotepa Nacional — in perfect condition. A true collector’s piece and definitely wearable. Measures 40″ wide x 38″ long. $245
