Tag Archives: huipil

At Original, Textiles from Chiapas Tell Stories

Posted on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 | 3 comments

A group of us spent five days at Original this past week. This is a textile extravaganza in Mexico City that honors indigenous weavers and designers from throughout Mexico. With over 1,000 artisans showing and selling what they make, to say the event was mind-boggling is an understatement. The show also featured pottery, lacquerware, copper, basketry, jewelry, and so much more.

We needed five days to do justice to Original! The event was held at Los Pinos in Chapultepec Park. It is the former residence and grounds of Mexico’s past presidents. When Lopez Obrador took office five years ago, he converted the mansions and grounds into a cultural center accessible to all.

Prominently featured were the textile makers of Chiapas. They work on backstrap looms as wide as their hips. Each finished length of cloth is then meticulously sewn together using intricate needle stitching that when complete looks like embroidery — but it isn’t!

Chiapas Textile Study Tour 2024

A highlight was our meeting with Alberto Lopez Gomez, a weaver, designer, and one of the volunteer event organizers. We sat together under the shade of a large tree just beyond his exhibition booth while he showed us an extraordinary teal blue and black collector’s huipil and explained the meaning of each symbol in the cloth.

This particular huipil tells a story that is significant in his village, which is part of the municipality of Magdalena Aldama, one of the most accomplished weaving villages in the region.

Alberto talks about how important snakes are in Maya symbolism, and points to the first row of design in this huipil. Then he shows us Señor de la Tierra, Lord of the Earth holding up the universe. The next image is one of a bat, which is a messenger in his culture; after that is the corn god named Culiacán, then the sun, mother and father, representing the family.

There are images of clay pitchers used to water the field crops, and triangles denoting the four cardinal points.

Diamonds also represent flowers, corn, and large stars that depict the cycle of planting. Farmers arise in the pre-dawn and are guided by the stars. When stars smaller in the sky, ancient farmers knew the rainy season coming and it was time to plant.

Snakes, worms, and caterpillars are highly respected in Maya mythology and used for traditional medicine. Mayas also honor the underworld, and this is also reflected in the designs.

In this huipil, we also see white orchids, which are gathered in the mountains by the elderly. They are the only ones allowed to collect these. The orchids are the border design around the collar.

Chiapas Textile Study Tour 2024

If a garment has fringes or tassels, these represent the braided hair of the women. This particular textile is very special, Alberto says, because it represents the story of his pueblo.

He now works with over 200 weavers in various municipalities in Chiapas.

We visit Alberto in his private home studio in San Cristobal de las Casas during our Chiapas Textile Study Tour. We have spaces open and invite you to join us as we explore the Maya textile culture of southern Mexico this February 2024.

Eric Chavez Santiago, Oaxaca Cultural Navigastor managing partner, with Alberto Lopez Gomez

3 Comments

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged Alberto Lopez Gomez, Chiapas, education, huipil, Magdalena Aldama, Maya textiles, Mexico, study tour, textiles, tour, travel, weaving

Fireworks Sale: 9 Huipiles from San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca

Posted on Monday, July 4, 2022 | 1 comment

Happy July 4th everyone! Here in Taos, New Mexico, the town has lifted the fireworks ban and the celebrations are popping with live music everywhere. I hope you are celebrating what it means to live in a democracy and how we can best protect our personal rights that were heretofore guaranteed by the federal government and past Supreme Court rulings.

Oops! one more for sale! and it’s gorgeous!

SOLD #10 We can send you this one immediately. Measures 32” wide x 36” long. dyed with indigo, wild marigold and mahogany. $255 plus $14 mailing

I leave for Oaxaca on July 20 and return on August 5 for our Summer Mountain Textile Tour. Eager to be returning there. If you make a huipil purchase, I will bring it back with me to mail to you after August 5.

We are offering Brisaida’s weavings at below retail. Why? To encourage women weavers like her to find direct markets for their work. Remote Oaxaca villages like San Juan Colorado on the Oaxaca coast where Brisaida lives, was born and raised, have little access to selling directly to collectors. They often rely on middlemen to come and buy up their work below fair market rate to resell in Oaxaca City. Their husbands work subsistence farming with no chance to sell, raising crops solely to feed the family. The only cash income for the family might be from what the women are able to make and sell or from remittances. Brisaida reached out to me to ask me to help her and I said YES.

These are garments that you can wear with pride that are completely handwoven on the back-strap loom and dyed with natural materials. They are lightweight and gauzy, perfect for the heat. with your purchase, you support indigenous weavers who live in remote areas where tourists rarely travel. You are supporting sustainable entrepreneurism. As soon as a piece sells, I send funds directly to Brisaida. She is among the finest weavers of this village and a member of Las Sanjuaneras cooperative.

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. Choose one of three ways.

You can pay one of three ways: 1) with a Zelle transfer and no service fee; 2) with Venmo or 3) with PayPal. If you choose either #2 or #3, we add on a 3% service fee which is their charge to us, and we will send a Request for Funds to your email address. The request will include the cost of the garment + $14 mailing. If you want more than one piece, I’m happy to combine mailing. Tell me which payment method you prefer and I’ll send you more information. Buy now and I’ll bring your garment back with me on August 5 when I return from Oaxaca to New Mexico.

A Note from Brisaida

My name is Brisaida Garcia Quiroz, and I’m 34 years old. I learned to weave on the back strap loom at age 10 and I am very proud to do this work. I am happy and love the process of creating the cloth and using natural dyes on cotton that I often hand spin myself from pre-Hispanic native Oaxaca cotton. I am an indigenous woman and with the weaving I do, I know I can help my children get ahead. I am thankful that you are able to help me.

SOLD. Blusa #1: Indigo, with supplementary weft (called brocado) with natural white cotton and cotton dyed with mahogany bark. Size is 27″ long x 29″ wide. $235 plus mailing.

SOLD. Blusa #2: Indigo with supplementary weft dyed with cochineal, mahogany, wild marigold, plus natural white cotton. 29″ long x 30″ wide. $235 plus mailing.

SOLD. Blusa #3: Dyed with indigo and iron oxide. 28″ wide x 28″ long. $200 plus mailing.

SOLD. Blusa #4: Dyed with indigo and Brazil wood, and supplementary weft dyed with natural white cotton, mahogany, wild marigold and indigo. 28″ long x 29″ wide. $235 plus mailing.

SOLD. Blusa #5: Dyed with iron oxide and indigo, with supplementary weft dyed with indigo and native white cotton. 29″ long x 26″ wide. $235 plus mailing.

SOLD. Huipil #6: Raw indigo is uncooked leaves which are rubbed on the cotton to get this soft green tone. This huipil is embellished with a supplementary weft dyed with the shell of the cacao (chocolate) bean and native white cotton. 43″ long x 32″ wide. $298 plus mailing.

SOLD Huipil #7: Dyed with wild marigold and the supplementary weft is dyed with hand-spun white cotton and guapinol. 37″ long x 31 inches wide. $298 plus mailing. Liliana

SOLD. Huipil #8: Mixed colors with natural dyes of indigo, iron oxide and wild marigold. 37″ long x 27″ wide. $247 plus mailing.

SOLD Huipil #9: Dyed with mahogany, with the brocade supplementary weft threads dyed with natural white cotton and wild marigold. 39″ long x 29″ wide. $298 plus mailing.
NOTE: Please measure for fit; width is across the front of the garment, side seam to side seam. All sales final. Thank you.

1 Comment

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged huipil, Mexico, Oaxaca, sale, textiles

Life Update and All Things Mexico Spring Clearance

Posted on Monday, June 13, 2022 | Comments Off

Here in Northern New Mexico the winds are gusting. While some of the early spring wildfires are contained, more are igniting, mostly from lightening strikes. Near Georgia O’Keeffe’s home in Abiquiu a new fire erupted in El Rito, a small mountain community about 30 miles from where I live. Scary stuff. Smoke obliterated the mountains and I had to wear a face mask in the car. The air smelled like a campfire. We are in severe drought conditions and global warming is taking its toll. A couple of weeks ago, an unusual early spring hurricane hit the Oaxaca coast hard. My friends reported lots of devastation. Climate change is wrecking havoc.

Meanwhile, I’m waiting for my small house to be completed on the Rio Grande Gorge. everything is delayed and costs have soared. It was supposed to be May, then amended to the end of June. I’m hoping for this so I can close, get my mortgage and return to Oaxaca in time for the Summer Textile Mountain Tour. Hoping this will happen, though not sure. (We can still register you — there are a few open spaces — register by June 20 and get 10% off!)

Celebrate summer with a colorful hand-embroidered shoulder bag. 9×10” with 42” strap, lined with zipper. Specify by color. Was $56 each. Discounted to $29 each.

I’m still culling my collection and will continue to do so as I prepare for another move. Here are some wonderful pieces to offer to you today.

To Buy: Please send me an email with your name, email address, mailing address and include the Item Number you wish to purchase. We add $14 flat rate to mail and we are happy to combine orders in one shipment. Tell me if you want to pay with a Zelle transfer (no service fee) or use PayPal or Venmo (with a 3% service fee). For PayPal or Venmo, I will send you a request for funds. Thanks very much. -Norma

#1 Las Sanjuaneras blusa. natural dyes, indigo and banana bark. 30” wide x 23” long. $225

**SOLD** #2 Las Sanjuaneras blusa. Índigo and mahogany. 30” wide x 27” long. $225.

**SOLD** #3 Tote/weekend bag, indigo and leather, lined, zipper, interior pockets. Wool tapestry hand-woven. $155.

**SOLD** #4 Coyuchi cotton huipil from Zacoalpan, Guerrero. 28” wide x 37” long. Deeply discounted $295.

#5 From Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca, gorgeous fuchsine huipil, handspun cotton. 31” wide x 46” long. sturdy fabric. $325

#6 Pinotepa de Don Luis blusa dye with gourd and rare purple snail. 29” wide x 29” long $290.

#7 from Cancuc, Chiapas, huipil, dyed with nanche fruit and cochineal. 20” wide x 35” long. $250.

**SOLD** #8 Xochistlahuaca backstrap loomed shoulder bag Bargain! $65

**SOLD** #9 Collector’s Huipil from Xochistlahuaca. 30” wide x 45” long Was $875 NOW $475.

#10 Size XL french knot embroidered blouse from Chiapas, spectacular workmanship. Was $145 Now $110.

#11. San Andres Larrainzar blusa. Backstrap loomed. 22-1/2” wide x 25” long. $68

**SOLD** #13. From the famous Palafox family of San Mateo del Mar, Oaxaca Size XL 35” wide x 33” long. cochineal, wild marigold, indigo. sea creature motifs woven into finest handwoven gauze cotton. You get this for what was paid for it. $375

#14. from Chiapas designer Alberto Lopez Gomez, the best quality huipil from the region. Size Medium. You get this for cost! $375

#15. And this one from Alberto Lopez Gomez. size Medium Also at cost $375

COMING UP — JEWELRY!

Comments Off on Life Update and All Things Mexico Spring Clearance

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged blouses, dresses, huipil, Mexico, Oaxaca, sale, textiles

San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca, Where Textiles Tell Stories

Posted on Thursday, January 20, 2022 | Comments Off

San Juan Colorado is up the mountain about an hour-and-half from Pinotepa Nacional along the Costa Chica. It’s at the end of the road, so secluded that the Spanish Conquest and proselytizing priests didn’t reach here until much later. It’s why traditional backstrap loom weaving and natural dyeing have survived over the years.

Mostly women weave here, but some men are also learning. Girls start when they are around ten years old. Native wild preHispanic cotton grows here, too — caramel colored brown, mint green, creamy white make up the palette. White thread can also be dyed red with cochineal, blue with indigo, yellow with wild marigold, brown with nuts and bark. Brazilwood turns white cotton to a fucsia hot pink. Cooking cotton in an iron pot dulls the color. White becomes a soft grey.

We visit one of the oldest cooperatives, Jini Nuu. We gather in the courtyard under the shade of an almond tree The bark is also a dye material. Yuridia and Verónica welcome us. The older women are sitting on the ground, legs tucked under them, bare toes peeking out from their posahuanco wrap-around skirts, spinning cotton with the drop spindle, picking seeds from the cotton to get ready to spin it, and weaving on the backstrap loom.

Our group sits down for lunch. We are served tamales stuff with a local specialty of mangrove mussels and another type stuffed with chicken. There is a spicy beef broth soup, tasty fruit waters, avocado, Oaxaca queso fresco, and plenty of made in the comal tortillas. We are in foodie heaven. Our desert is a shot of Piedra de Alma mezcal.

Mid-afternoon we cross the village to visit Camerina and the Las Sanjuaneras cooperative where they weave beautiful gauze fabric and work only in natural dyes. Their oldest member is age 81 and their youngest is in her 30’s. Cooperatives are important social and economic organizations, offering ways to marketi and also provide mutual support.

Let us know if you want to go in 2023

Designs woven into the cloth are selected by each weaver. They I clise the flora and fauna of the region. Since we are near the coast, this includes crab, turtles, ducks, birds, stars, rainbows, mountains, scorpions, pine trees, corn plants, chickens. The row of women figures holding hands depicts solidarity. Shoulder decorations of zigzag depict the Feathers of Quetzalcoatl — the serpent god. The double-headed eagle has special significance: the duality of life, ting-hangs, man-woman, fertility.

Glorious, textiles, talented weavers, tamales with mussels, hand-carved masks

Comments Off on San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca, Where Textiles Tell Stories

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged backstrap loom, clothing, huipil, Natual dyes, natural dyes, San Juan Colorado, textiles, tour, travel

Collector’s Textile Sale: Preview 3

Posted on Saturday, October 23, 2021 | 2 comments

It’s been 19 months since I’ve been to my home in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. In the past several years I’ve been walking, and eating for health (gluten and lactose free). Most of the handwoven clothes I have, mostly from Oaxaca and Chiapas, do not fit! If you wear a size Medium, Large or Extra Large, then look closely below for some beautiful
blouses (blusas) and dresses (huipiles). Many rare, most with natural dyes.

How to buy: Tell me the item you want by number. Send me your mailing address. I will send you a PayPal invoice after you ID your choices. The invoice will include the cost of the garment + $12 mailing. If you want more than once piece, I’m happy to combine mailing. I’ll be mailing from Taos, NM when I return after November 15.