Mother’s Day, started by social activist Anna Jarvis in the early 20th century to honor her own mother, has now become the second most popular holiday in the United States for gift-giving, following Christmas. Groups of mothers whose sons had fought or died on opposite sides of the American Civil War were involved in the early development of the holiday. Jarvis’ mother was a peace activist who wanted to improve the lives of other mothers. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially made Mother’s Day a national holiday. In 1918, the fledgling Florists Telegraph Delivery group (FTD) began promoting Say it With Flowers, for their Mother’s Day Campaign. They could not keep white carnations, the official Mother’s Day flower, in stock. Hallmark began creating and producing Mother’s Day cards in the early 1920’s. Gift-giving became a central part of Mother’s Day, too, since its inception.
Mother’s Day is always the second Sunday in May. We have clothing, home goods, jewelry, and rugs in the shop to tickle any mother’s fancy. In fact, you don’t have to be a mother to participate in this celebration. All women deserve to be recognized for our accomplishments and attributes, whether we are married, single, with or without children, or who use another pronoun to distinguish themselves!
We will get anything you choose into the mail ASAP. Just say to your favorite recipient: We are gifting you with something special from Oaxaca Cultural Navigator and it will be arriving soon! And, remember, use your credit card or PayPal — no fees to you when you purchase from the shop.
Just listed, French knot blouses made by Francisca in Amatenango del Valle, Chiapas. Every stitch is impeccably made by hand — there is not one bit of machine stitching in this garment!
Below is an exceptional, rare huipil from Pueblo Mixteco de la Costa. It is difficult to find a back-strap loom woven garment in this village now. It is discontinuous weft, also known as supplementary weft or pick-up weaving. The base cloth is cotton and the intricate designs are woven with synthetic thread.
shop.oaxacaculture.com is where you can find the perfect artisan made gift for family, friends, co-workers, and anyone who loves hand-made from Mexico. Perhaps you will find the perfect blouse or huipil for holiday dressing, a hostess gift for someone who has (almost) everything, or something to add pizzaz to your own home decor.
Shop today through December 1 and get a 10% discount off everything you purchase!
Use Coupon Code thankful2023 at check-out.
We rarely discount.
Why Shop Oaxaca Culture?
We personally curate and select each item
We know each artisan maker and can attest to the quality of their work
We ethically source each piece and verify that the process is sustainable
We pay artisans directly for their work at the price they ask
We do not bargain!
We know that makers depend on cash income to support their families
We especially support women who use this income to pay for schooling for children and grandchildren, and for health care for elderly family members
Your support gives us the means to continue to support women, men, and their families. By doing so, we help sustain traditional, ancestral artisan arts and handcrafts that are at risk of being lost as indigenous cultures become more Westernized.
Shop today through December 1 and get a 10% discount off everything you purchase!
Use Coupon Code thankful2023 at check-out.
We rarely discount.
What we offer for sale:
Handwoven 100% wool rugs from Teotitlan del Valle woven by Eric Chavez Santiago
Back-strap loomed clothing from all regions of Oaxaca and Chiapas
Home goods to embellish your holiday table
Jewelry, including vintage and collectible
Shoes, shawls, scarves, handbags
More that defy categories!
Please help us spread the word and SHARE THIS POST and shop URL.
Come back often. We post new items regularly. Here are some examples of what you will find on shop.oaxacaculture.com
Rugs by Eric Chavez Santiago, textile art wall hangings
Shop Oaxaca Culture — https://shop.oaxacaculture.com — is our new online marketplace for all things Mexico! We hope you check it out. Of course, we offer clothing including amazing blusas (blouses) and huipiles (dresses), rebozos (shawls) and bufandas (scarves), made by our weaver friends in Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero, Puebla, Michoacan, and remote villages tucked into mountain folds throughout the country.
We are also featuring hand-woven, naturally dyed rugs by Eric Chavez Santiago — these beautiful, sustainable, and ethically made floor and wall coverings make a perfect accent piece for any decor. Eric and his wife Elsa Sanchez Diaz are my partners in our Oaxaca Cultural Navigator tours and workshops. They also operate Taller Teñido a Mano, a natural dye studio where they use locally sourced plant materials, including indigo and cochineal to dye wool and cotton, and teach workshops.
Speaking of decor, we have a Home Goods section that offers hand-woven baskets from the Mixteca, hand-carved mezcal cups from the Oaxaca coast, and felted floor mats and rugs. You can find ixtle hand-woven market bags here, too. We will be adding more to this section soon.
In our quest for the remarkable and well-crafted, we have included a Jewelry + More section. This includes a mash-up of materials, from gold to silver, to clay beads, semi-precious stones, and vintage pieces we collect along the journey. See the earrings and necklaces we have posted to date.
As always, we will be adding new items as we source them, so please bookmark the URL and come back to visit us often. We will no longer be using the Oaxaca Cultural Navigator blog for sales.
I’ll be returning to Oaxaca soon, arriving on October 23, just before Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and I’ll be keeping my eyes open for new and vintage pieces I know you will love. If there is anything in particular you are looking for, too, please let us know and we will try to find it for you.
BTW, we still have a few openings in our Day of the Dead day tours to Teotitlan del Valle and Mitla.
Now you know why you haven’t heard much from me in the last few weeks. Eric and I been working frantically behind the scenes to get this website up and running. We are also working on developing a textile tour to Guatemala for winter 2025, as well as a Women’s Creative Writing Workshop Retreat for January 2025, all as we get ready for upcoming programs, including Original in Mexico City, November 15-20.
True confession is that it’s hard for me to write about Oaxaca when I’m not there, so I hope you forgive me. And, personally, my other endeavors include landscaping, which I call taming the wilderness around my Taos home, and writing creative non-fiction that I read monthly at the open mic at SOMOS, the Taos literary society. At the end of this month, my sister and I embark on a two-week road trip to visit Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo pueblos, as well as Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Canyon de Chelly, and Chaco Canyon. My connection to and appreciation for native peoples runs deep, whether in Mexico or New Mexico. Let me know if you’d like me to blog about this travel experience.
Sending you all my best, with deepest thanks and gratitude for your interest and support over the many years I have been writing and organizing cultural experiences.
Monica contacted me this week and asked for help to sell her hand-woven, naturally dyed cotton huipiles and blusas. She is from the Oaxaca coast village of Pinotepa de Don Luis and is married to Rafael Avedaño, the son of the famed purple snail dyer Don Habacuc Avedaño. Rafa learned how to milk the purple snail from his father, extracting the dye and then putting the snail back into the water to regenerate. They dye the hand-spun native white cotton right there on the rocks along the tide pools near Huatulco. Monica is a master weaver and creates stunning, well made and airy garments perfect for the heat and humidity along the coast. Yes, it’s even hot there in January — the coolest month.
There are still many days left in summer and it’s likely that this heat we are experiencing will not let up for quite some time. A perfect time to adorn yourself in something hand made, sustainable, and elegant. These clothes are easy-to-wash-and-wear, and will allow your body to breathe while still looking fresh. Each one is one-of-a-kind! You know you are supporting a Oaxaca weaver directly when you purchase.
Here’s how it works: Monica sent me photos that I am posting here with dimensions and prices. Please order by August 12, 2023. You will pre-pay and I will add on $20 mailing cost. If you order more than one piece, I will combine mailing. Monica will then send me a package of all to take to the post office.
How to Buy: mailto:norma.schafer@icloud.com Tell me the item you want by number. Send me your mailing address. Tell me how you want to pay and include your account name, email or phone number. Choose one of three ways.
You can pay one of three ways: 1) with Zelle (no service fee; 2) with Venmo or 3) with PayPal (3.5% service fee for either one). We will send a Request for Funds (tell us how your account is registered). The request will include the cost of the garment + $17 mailing. If you want more than one piece, I’m happy to combine mailing.
Please measure carefully. We are unable to accept returns since we will have already paid the artisans. Width is measured across the front. Length is measured from shoulder to hem. Thank you!
SOLD #1. White huipil with designs in purple snail dye and gourd. 26″ wide x 30″ long. $245SOLD #2. Mahogany dyed huipil with purple snail + native white cotton designs. 24″ wide x 33″ long. $275 #3. Coyuchi native brown cotton huipil, rare, hand-spun, with purple snails dye + native white cotton. 31″x45″ $665SOLD #3A. Coyuchi native brown cotton huipil, rare, hand-spun, with purple snails dye + native white cotton. 31″x45″ $665#4 Virgin of Guadalupe embroidered collar w/white and purple snail dyes. 30″x47″ $395#5. White cotton w/purple snail dye designs. 26″x 45″$295SOLD #6. Virgin of Guadalupe collar embroidered with purple snail dye. White on White w/indigo stripes. 30″x31″ $365SOLD #7. White on White w/indigo stripes. 30″x29″ $235#8 Gourd dye with coyuchi native brown cotton + purple snail dye. 29″x47″ $635#9. Indigo huipil w/coyuchi + purple snail dye. 25″ wide x 39″ long. $335#10. White gauze w/purple snail dye + coyuchi. 26″ x 30″ $285#11. Huipil dyed with gourd, designs with coyuchi + purple snail dye. 24″ x 31″ $295#12. White with purple snail + embroidered collar. 27″ x 45″ $395SOLD #13. White with purple snail dye. 21″ x 25″ $195#14. White gauze with purple snail dye. 28″x 45″ $325SOLD #15. Indigo + purple snail dye on white. 25″ wide x 28″ long. $265SOLD. #16. Indigo with purple snail dye + coyuchi cotton. 28″ x 45″ $395SOLD #17. Indigo with purple snail + cochineal, embroidered collar. 30″ wide x 30″ long. $325 SOLD. #18. Gourd dyed huipil with purple snail dye, native white cotton. 26″ wide x 30″ long. $275SOLD #19. Indigo, with wild marigold, native white cotton, purple snail dye. 28″x 47″ $395#20. White with purple snail dye. 21″ x 25″ $195
We need to dress lightly to be comfortable in this extraordinary heat. I brought these pieces back from Mexico when I returned in April, thinking they would be perfect for summer dressing, not realizing how much we now need lightly woven gauze cotton or beautifully embroidered linen to keep our bodies cool. We still want to look good when we go out or invite others in, and these blusas and huipiles fit these needs. Plus, they are easy care — wash in the machine on gentle using a mild soap (not Woolite, it leeches color) like Ivory. Then hang to dry. Press with a warm iron, if needed. There are 16 items. Be sure to scroll down to see everything!
How to Buy:Send me an email.Tell me the item you want by number. Send me your mailing address. Tell me how you want to pay. Choose one of four ways.
You can pay one of three ways: 1) with Zelle and no service fee; 2) with Venmo or 3) with PayPal or 4) with Square. If you choose either #2, #3, or #4, we add on a 3.5% service fee which is their charge to us. Tell us which payment method you prefer and how your account is registered (email, phone number, other?). We will send a Request for Funds to your account. The request will include the cost of the garment + $14 mailing. If you want more than one piece, I’m happy to combine mailing.
P.S. Please measure carefully. All sales are final. Why? Because we have already purchased and paid the artisan makers for these textiles at the price they set, doing our part for cultural continuation and sustainability.
#1 San Juan Colorado Huipil
#1. From San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca, handwoven on the back strap loom by Brisaida, this native white cotton is a loose weave. The blue is indigo dye, with designs achieved using the supplementary weft technique. Measures 22-1/2″ wide x 25″ long. $235.
#2 Coban, Guatemala Huipil
#2 From Coban, northern Guatemala, where a tropical climate dictates that women weave very fine cotton. This, too, uses indigo dyed threads to achieve the designs in the cloth created using the supplementary weft technique. Measures 27″ wide x 35″ long. $295.
#3 Embroidered blusa, Chiapas
#3. From San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, a very fine white cotton blouse embroidered with blue trim. Easy wearing! Measures 23-1/2″ wide x 27″ long. $135.
#4 Woven blusa with embroidered color
SOLD #4. Egg yolk yellow cotton blouse handwoven on the back strap loom with an amazing embroidered collar from Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca. Measures 23″ wide x 26″ long. $95.
#5 San Antonino embroidered blusa
#5. Black on White embroidered blouse from San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca, where they make the famous wedding dresses! A crop top for ultimate coolness. Measures 25″ wide x 23″ long. $165.
#6 San Juan Colorado huipil woven by Brisaida
#6. San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca, huipil with natural dyes — wild marigold and logwood, handwoven on the back strap loom by Brisaida. Measures 30-1/2″ wide x 30 ” long. $265.
#6 Pinotepa de Don Luis blusa with Caracol Purpura trim
#7. White on White blusa woven in Pinotepa de Don Luis with rare purple snail dye trim around neckline and collar. Measures 22″ wide x 26″ long. $185.
#8 Chiapas finely embroidered linen blusa
#8. Pale yellow linen blouse with the finest embroidery I’ve ever seen, made in Chiapas. Measures 23-1/2″ wide x 24″ long. $135.
#9 Venustiano Carranza Quechquemitl
#9. This quechquemitl, which is a native Mexican design, is like a short poncho. You put it on over your head. This one is handwoven on the back strap loom in Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas, a light cover-up to embellish your dressing. Measures 35″ wide x 31″ long. $145.
#10 Triqui blusa
SOLD. #10. Handwoven cotton blouse with supplementary weft designs from the Triqui group in Oaxaca’s Mixteca Alta. Measures 20″ wide x 24″ long. $110.
#11 Purple and Red blusa
SOLD. #11. This blouse from San Juan Guichicovi, Oaxaca, is cotton woven on the treadle loom and decorated in free-form machine embroidery. It measures 21″ wide x 23″ long. $145.
#12 White on White
SOLD. #12. From San Juan Colorado, a White on White blouse with a beautiful square collar, perfectly executed on the back strap loom Measures 24-1/2″ wide x 24-1/2″ long. $165.
#13 Embroidered Chiapas blusa darker
#13. San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, embroidered blouse on very fine cotton. Measures 24″ wide x 24″ long. $135.
#14 Embroidered Chiapas blusa lighter
SOLD #14. San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, embroidered blouse, similar to the one above. This is a somewhat lighter color way. Measures 24″ wide x 26″ long. $135.
#15 All natural dyes, Triqui huipil
SOLD. #15. All natural dyes are what makes this Triqui huipil very special. It incorporates cochineal, wild marigold, indigo, and tree bark. It measures 25″ wide x 35″ long. $295.
#16 Turquoise blusa, Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas
SOLD. #16. A turquoise blusa embellished with sparkly threads in the supplementary weft design, from Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas, where tropical weather dictates a lighter weave. Measures 23″ wide x 24″ long. $125
Thank you for looking and shopping. Buy today and I will mail on Wednesday, July 26. Otherwise I will mail on August 4.
We know the culture! We are locally owned and operated.
Eric Chavez Santiago is Zapotec, born and raised in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca.
Norma Schafer has been living in Oaxaca for almost 20 years.
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.
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 ie. hand weaving and natural dyeing. 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!
Why We Left, Expat Anthology: Norma’s Personal Essay
Norma contributes personal essay, How Oaxaca Became Home
We Contribute Two Chapters!
Click image to order yours!
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.
Designers, retailers, wholesalers, curators, universities and others come to us to develop artisan relationships, customized itineraries, study abroad programs, meetings and conferences. It's our pleasure to make arrangements.
Select Clients *Abeja Boutique, Houston *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
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 Custom Tours: Tell Us When You Want to Go!
Ruta del Mezcal One-Day Tour.We start the day with pottery, visiting a master, then have lunch with a Traditional Oaxaca Cook who is the master of mole making. In Mitla, we meet with our favorite flying shuttle loom weaver, and then finish off with a mezcal tasting at a palenque you will NEVER find on your own! Schedule at your convenience!
October 27, 28, 29: People and Place Photography Workshop in Teotitlán Del Valle with Luvia Lazo, featured in The New Yorker Magazine. Portraits and Street Photography, recipient of Leica Women Foto Project Award Winner 2024. This is an insider's Street and Portrait photography experience. We visit families in their homes to arrange photo sessions, we take you on the back streets where tourists rarely go.
October 30: Day of the Dead in Teotitlan del Valle--Altars and Studio Visits. A one-day immersion into culture, traditions, and meaning in Teotitlan del Valle. In this traditional village, where the native language is still spoken, we take you to meet local artisans who also explain their personal family traditions including who and what is on the altar and why. P.S. We know Teotitlan. We live here!
November 1: Day of the Dead Magic in Mitla--Visit the cemetery with our local host, understand the meaning of the pre-Hispanic altar, help honor the ancestors with offerings, enjoy a traditional meal of mole negro, a feast day speciality in Mitla. A one-day immersion experience.
January 11-19, Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour. Visit five remote weaving villages on the Costa Chica--Pacific Coast. See backstrap loom weaving, natural dyeing with rare purple snail dye, diverse language, culture, food. Discover Afro-Mestizo roots. This is one of our more Amazing study tours! We will not offer this tour in 2026! Don't miss it.
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.
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
SALE. Shop Small. Shop Artisan Made.
shop.oaxacaculture.com is where you can find the perfect artisan made gift for family, friends, co-workers, and anyone who loves hand-made from Mexico. Perhaps you will find the perfect blouse or huipil for holiday dressing, a hostess gift for someone who has (almost) everything, or something to add pizzaz to your own home decor.
Shop today through December 1 and get a 10% discount off everything you purchase!
Use Coupon Code thankful2023 at check-out.
We rarely discount.
Why Shop Oaxaca Culture?
Your support gives us the means to continue to support women, men, and their families. By doing so, we help sustain traditional, ancestral artisan arts and handcrafts that are at risk of being lost as indigenous cultures become more Westernized.
Shop today through December 1 and get a 10% discount off everything you purchase!
Use Coupon Code thankful2023 at check-out.
We rarely discount.
What we offer for sale:
Please help us spread the word and SHARE THIS POST and shop URL.
Come back often. We post new items regularly. Here are some examples of what you will find on shop.oaxacaculture.com
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