Oaxaca’s Ethnobotanical Garden: Rooted in Cultural History
Rather than give you another review of Oaxaca’s Ethnobotanical Garden, I thought I would share this excellent article recently published in Garden Design Magazine. It has lots of photos of this remarkable space. Thanks to Mary Ann Walsh who follows this blog and shared the link with me. Check the Garden for availability of guided […]
To Weave a Rainbow: Natural Dyes of the World
New exhibition at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, May 23 to October 5, 2009: Exhibition Notes In 1856, an 18 year-old English chemistry student by the name of William Henry Perkin worked away in the laboratory during the Easter holidays trying to find a way to produce quinine from coal. That plant-derived compound was the […]
Pita: The Silk of the Pineapple Leaf
The pita (pee-tah) I am referring to is NOT the middle eastern flat bread that most of us are familiar with. It is the fiber produced from the pineapple leaf after it is pounded, smashed, torn into long strips, soaked and washed, dried, then used for weaving, crocheting and embroidery. It has the look, texture, […]
From Mitla to Sumatra: The Art of the Woven Fret
THIS is Oaxaca! The colors and graphics alone of this brochure singularly depict the vibrancy and energy of Oaxaca life and art. The opening exhibit at the new Museo Textil de Oaxaca explores the pattern of the fret or greca as a universal textile design used around the globe, from southern Mexico to Indonesia. There […]
Letter From Eric, May 31, 2008
I have been at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca for only for 2 weeks and I am still trying to understand and learn the complexities of the job. I had a group of 9 year old kids today to test the workshop I proposed. Mexican kids are very different from those in America. They were […]