I’m on the Shinkansen to Kyoto at this moment, but I want to report on attending the major national handmade paper show held yesterday in Tokyo. It was four floors of all things paper, and related items. We saw everything from glittery, textured, screen printed papers to stickers, paper thread for tying packages, vintage paper postcards and trims, to silkscreened tote bags, pins, keychains, handkerchiefs and neck scarves. The aisles were packed and Annie and I were the only Anglos. The experiences was spectacular and exhausting.
My friend Nancy Craft, a Japan travel expert who is helping us plan the itinerary for our October 2025 folk art and textile tour, suggested we go. Don’t forget to tell me if you are interested in this trip. We are taking list now.
Gift wrapping is an important part of the culture here. It is as or more important than the gift. There is ceremony in gifting. No one would ever think of putting a gift in a paper bag and typing the handle with a bow (which is something I have done with frequency). I suspect that even a humble gift is elevated to importance when the giver has taken the time to wrap and decorate it.
Here are a few photos of our experience. Most of the expo goers were young women between the ages of twenty and forty-five. Many were toting babies.
The impact of our gifts has been felt! Oaxaca Street Children president David Slaymaker wrote to tell us so and add his thanks. (See below)
Yesterday, I made a personal gift to Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots to sponsor the education of a child for one year. The cost: $250. It seems like a small price to pay for help that will go a long way, administered by a trusted organization. If you can, please make a matching gift. This is one very important and direct way to help Oaxaca during this time of unprecedented crisis.
Hi Norma- This is Dave Slaymaker from Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots. Thank you so much for putting Marla’s guest article on your site. The response has been, frankly, amazing! I also noted that you just made a donation for a sponsorship as well. Thank you so much!
I am still trying to tally all the donations generated from your site and Marla’s guest article, but with yours we have at least 7 new sponsors and numerous donations. As an example, I got a new sponsorship today inspired by Marla’s article on your site, had a brief correspondence with the donor, and he immediately sent an additional $1,000 for the general fund.
As you well know things are very difficult in Oaxaca and environs lately and I worry daily about our families. My biggest fear is that they will return to the kind of poverty I was seeing 20 years ago ago. Fortunately, with help from people like you and those that follow you we are able to continue our primary mission – education, and have expanded to food distribution as we seek to keep our families safe and well. Right now we have around 700 children and young adults in our program and around 550 families so the help we have received from those that follow you will have a tremendous impact!
Again, I have never seen a response like this for anything we have done in the past and I have been president of the organization for more than 10 years. I can’t begin to express my personal appreciation, and I can’t tell you how much your spreading the word is helping our work. I would like to get down to Oaxaca as soon as possible, but with the pandemic I don’t know when that will be- hopefully soon. I would certainly like to meet you and thank you in person when I do so.
On behalf of the children, young adults, and families we serve in Oaxaca, my sincerest thanks!
Dave
***
You are so generous, my friends! You have my personal and heartfelt thanks, too, for everything you do for the place we love … Oaxaca!
Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots — Centro de Esperanza de Infantil
I have offered FREE FACE MASKS to Oaxaca Street Children, too, made possible by the gifts that many of you have made to our Oaxaca Mask Project. The face masks, or cubrebocas, are sewn by women friends in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. They are needing work, too, and this project gives them a lifeline for direct support from us.
If you have the inclination to help with a donation to to the mask project, please choose one of these links. You can be assured that we get these masks to people who need them most.
Still accepting gifts. To contribute to The Oaxaca Mask Project, click here:
And, stay tuned for more Oaxaca huipiles coming in the next week from San Mateo del Mar on the southern Oaxaca coast, hard-hit by the 2018 earthquake and not yet recovered, and the third shipment coming in from San Juan Colorado.
We send you our sincerest, most grateful thanks. Special thanks to Janet and Shannon!
Your generosity gives us the wherewithal to go into mask-making overdrive. Even more important now that the virus is spreading to the villages and more cases are identified.
100 masks went to Macuilxochitl, adjacent to Teotitlan de Valle
We have cried this week. There were seven (7) funerals in Teotitlan del Valle, two on one day. There are cases diagnosed in neighboring villages and towns. For every published case diagnosed, the multiplier is eight (8) for the underrepresented numbers. If five (5) cases are known, the likely total is 40. The curve is no where in sight.
Mexico’s health care system is in disarray. Upon taking office, President AMLO (Lopez-Obrador) started dismantling the system to reorganize. There is little PPE and health care workers are taxed. The New York Times reports today that 25% of Mexico’s coronavirus cases are health care workers.
In all this, we are hopeful that the masks we offer FREE to people will mitigate the spread of disease in the Oaxaca valleys. Thank you for your generosity, your big heart and your gifts.
It takes a village to protect a village. You and I do this because we have a connection to people and place. We do this because we respect the creativity and hard work of Oaxaqueños. We understand. Thank you, again!
Since Monday, May 25, 2020:
108 donors made gifts
$6,746 USD received
1100 masks ordered
4 distribution partnerships formed
8 mask-makers employed
Expanded mask-making and distribution to San Miguel del Valle apron-making village
More to do!
Rocio Arecely Garcia Lopez, left, San Miguel del Valle, will sew masks for us
I’m smitten with this story about women who weave and use natural dyes under the shadow of Orizaba in the state of Veracruz, just over the border from northern Oaxaca state. It is a testimony to ancient wisdom, the grandmothers, folklore, cultural preservation and the strength of women to remember and to make and to teach it to the next generation. It is a tribute to everyone in Mexico who works hard and under extreme circumstances, to create the wonderful textiles that we love.
This is a long video, almost 30 minutes. I encourage you to watch it. Then make a gift to ensure support the immigrants who are mistreated in the USA, by choosing one or several of these organizations.
If you have a favorite Not-for-Profit USA 501 C 3 that helps Mexican immigrants in the USA or helps textile weavers in Mexico, please feel free to share a link in the comments, with a reason why you support them. Thank you!
And, please remember, when you make a purchase of a textile that is made by hand, you are helping to support individuals, families, villages, communities and cultures to do more than survive, to thrive and continue their traditions.
Felices Fiestas con abrazos fuertes from Oaxaca, Mexico.
We are not yet “out of the woods!” There is still so much more to repair in Oaxaca state*as a result of the September 7, 2017, earthquake that registered 8.2 on the Richter Scale. The quake was centered just off-shore from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Oaxaca state, where most of the damage occurred in and around the town of Juchitan de Zaragoza.
Coastal villages, like where life is as it was thousands of years ago, have no fresh water, contaminated wells from broken septic systems, fissures in earthen floors, and crumbled dwellings. The prognosis: Broken lives. Broken homes. Broken hopes. Years to recover.
The weaving and fishing village of San Mateo del Mar is one such village where anthropologist Denise Lechner and pediatrician Anja Widman are working to repair the world.
This is where I have directed the funds that have come to me by check from people who have responded to this blog and Call for Help!
I want to take this moment to thank you.
Mary James, Modesto, CA
Richard Kowalczyk, Springfield, VA
Irene Schmoller and Cotton Clouds, Inc, Safford AZ
Mary Randall, Modesto, CA
Rebecca Neigher, Durham, NC
Roberta Megard, St. Paul, MN
Eshkie Zachai and Jerry Martin, Eugene, OR
Susanne Corrigan, Tallahassee, FL
Anonymous, Makawao, HI
Liliana Rico Kennedy, Ocala, FL
Countless more of you have made donations directly to Denise’s PayPal account and I’m sending personal Thank You’s on her behalf. Others have helped through the Francisco Toledo Foundation. There is also a way to make a wire transfer to the Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation that will make a 50% match.
Mail a check to me, payable to Norma Schafer, 500 N. Duke Street, Apt. 55-307, Durham, NC 27701. I will send the funds on for direct aid to either the Toledo Foundation or to Denise Lechner. Please specify which you prefer.
In the last ten days, there have been shock waves registering 6.1 to 4.1 several times a day, throughout the region. I imagine people are suffering from PTSD. Let alone the need for mental health, the public health risks are huge.
Map of Quake Region. You can see the fragility of the coast town of San Mateo del Mar, where I have visited. Dysentery and infection especially threaten the lives of children who are less resistant to disease.
Yes, there is much to do to repair our world. We know that Puebla State and Estado de Mexico are also damaged, and the death toll has risen in Mexico City.
And, then there is our Puerto Rico, USA Territory disaster, where federal help is scant and the situation is dire, and another Twitter War points to 45’s lack of moral compass.
Where ever you choose to give, please be generous and continue to be generous. Our friends need your help.
Sending sincerest thanks, Norma
P.S. DO NOT CANCEL YOUR TRIP to Oaxaca City, Puerto Escondido or Huatulco. These areas were not affected by the September 7 earthquake. I am returning to Oaxaca via Mexico City at the end of November. I intend to be in Mexico City for several days. I will not succumb to fear!
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.
Gratitude: Oaxaca Thanks All Who Give Support
We are not yet “out of the woods!” There is still so much more to repair in Oaxaca state*as a result of the September 7, 2017, earthquake that registered 8.2 on the Richter Scale. The quake was centered just off-shore from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Oaxaca state, where most of the damage occurred in and around the town of Juchitan de Zaragoza.
Click here for regional map
Coastal villages, like where life is as it was thousands of years ago, have no fresh water, contaminated wells from broken septic systems, fissures in earthen floors, and crumbled dwellings. The prognosis: Broken lives. Broken homes. Broken hopes. Years to recover.
The weaving and fishing village of San Mateo del Mar is one such village where anthropologist Denise Lechner and pediatrician Anja Widman are working to repair the world.
This is where I have directed the funds that have come to me by check from people who have responded to this blog and Call for Help!
I want to take this moment to thank you.
Countless more of you have made donations directly to Denise’s PayPal account and I’m sending personal Thank You’s on her behalf. Others have helped through the Francisco Toledo Foundation. There is also a way to make a wire transfer to the Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation that will make a 50% match.
Thousands of aftershocks result in sleepless nights.
In the last ten days, there have been shock waves registering 6.1 to 4.1 several times a day, throughout the region. I imagine people are suffering from PTSD. Let alone the need for mental health, the public health risks are huge.
Map of Quake Region. You can see the fragility of the coast town of San Mateo del Mar, where I have visited. Dysentery and infection especially threaten the lives of children who are less resistant to disease.
Yes, there is much to do to repair our world. We know that Puebla State and Estado de Mexico are also damaged, and the death toll has risen in Mexico City.
And, then there is our Puerto Rico, USA Territory disaster, where federal help is scant and the situation is dire, and another Twitter War points to 45’s lack of moral compass.
Where ever you choose to give, please be generous and continue to be generous. Our friends need your help.
Sending sincerest thanks, Norma
P.S. DO NOT CANCEL YOUR TRIP to Oaxaca City, Puerto Escondido or Huatulco. These areas were not affected by the September 7 earthquake. I am returning to Oaxaca via Mexico City at the end of November. I intend to be in Mexico City for several days. I will not succumb to fear!
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