We are continuing to offer our shop.oaxacaculture.com artisan made goods through Friday, December 1. Use Discount Code thankful2023 for savings.
Today, we feature handmade, machine washable and dryable aprons from Oaxaca. We buy these from an artisan family in San Miguel del Valle, Oaxaca. They use a free-form embroidery sewing machine, which means there is no pre-programmed pattern. They guide the needle by hand to create these floral designs. We have two aprons that are lightly embroidered and two that are densely embroidered. We call these Fancy Aprons. Perfect for holiday adornment when you are serving that special meal to family and friends. Sizes range from small to large.
Our sale continues through December 1. Use Discount Code thankful2023. Everything on our shop is handmade and sourced from outstanding artisans we know personally in Oaxaca and Chiapas. Today, we are featuring four beautifully embroidered cotton shoulder bags with a floral motif. Each is a different color. These are perfect for around town or for evening dressing. They make great gifts, too. The bags are made by our friend Rosario, whose nickname is Chela, in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, where I live part of the year. They feature a lining with inside pocket and are big enough to hold a wallet, cell phone, and other necessary accessories. Chela is an excellent seamstress so these are well-made. I’ve worn mine for years!
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
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!
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.
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
Looking for a spectacular brunch spot in Oaxaca with gourmet taste at a moderate price? Look no further. Criollo restaurant offers it all! Note: Be sure to make a reservation! Doors open at 10 a.m.
There is a reason that this Top Chef Enrique Olvera (of Pujol fame) dining spot is packed with locals and a few foreign visitors on Sunday morning! The outdoor dining alfresco under the shade trees and palapas is a real treat. It’s casual. It’s beautiful. It’s delicious. Okay. Now I’m repeating myself.
Set in proximity to a cocina de humo — an outdoor smoke and grill kitchen — the picnic tables are adorned with huge vases of fresh flowers on a patio of crushed gravel. Waiters offer a choice of barrista made coffees or café de olla— the sweet, cinnamon and vanilla infused coffee that native Oaxacans love to dunk their breakfast bread into.
Now for the bread! The choices are conchas—bigger and more delicious than you find anywhere, sweet bread stuffed with vanilla cream, and a nutty fruit bread flavored with ashes—my particular favorite. One little bite was not enough to satisfy. I had to eat the whole thing. Estoy gordita.
Dean, Kay and I shared a plate of grilled meats. It comes with grilled veggies and pineapple, guacamole, beef, pork ribs and chorizo. It isn’t on the menu — so be sure to ask for this. We also had a fresh fruit platter. They added granola and yogurt to the meal.
As founders of Oaxaca Eats, they know the best eating and grazing joints in town. I trust their taste explicitly. We’ve known each other since North Carolina days, before they moved to Oaxaca over six years ago.
After breakfast, Kay says, wanna go to the symphony? Sure, I say. So we hop in a taxi and get to Teatro Macedonio Alcalá JIT.
Seems the symphony is auditioning for a new conductor. Today was a special treat. Maestro William Harvey was on the podium and not only dazzled us with Bach and Beethoven, showing off his own violin virtuoso, but performed his own composition paying homage to indigenous peoples and featuring a vocalist from the Spokane tribe of Washington state, of whom only 25 native speakers remain.
It was an amazing day, a cultural treat all the way around.
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.
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!
New--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!
January 13-21, 2024: Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour. Very popular! Get your deposit in to reserve. For intrepid travelers. Visit 7 back-strap loom weavers. Explore the culture of cloth and community. ONE SPACE OPEN!
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
Like this:
Leave a comment
Posted in Cultural Commentary, Shop
Tagged artisan made, baskets, Black Friday, clothing, jewelry, Mexico, Oaxaca, rugs, sale, shop, Shop Oaxaca Culture, Small Business Saturday, sustainable, textiles