Tag Archives: Michoacan

Deals Continued From Oaxaca, Chiapas + More

Posted on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 | 1 comment

We are committed to supporting Mexican artisans, especially women who work so hard to support their families to give them schooling, health care and nutritious food. Food insecurity is a big deal in remote villages. Access to local medical clinics is severely limited. There are extra costs for school books, tuition and required uniforms. It’s the women who, through their weaving, are able to earn extra income to supplement the basics that the men can provide through subsistence farming. That’s why your support is so important. Big thanks as we approach Thanksgiving, for all you have done and continue to do to enable Oaxaca Cultural Navigator to buy direct and outright from the makers, and not on consignment.

I’m returning to Oaxaca at the end of December and want to clear my inventory of many beautiful pieces before then. What better time than NOW to add some splash to your holiday dressing with these Pre- and Post-Thanksgiving Specials. We have some home goods, too. Many pieces deeply discounted. I’m listing 12 things here, with more to come.

How to Buy: Send an email to norma.schafer@icloud.com and tell me the item(s) you want to purchase by number, your email, your mailing address and which payment method you prefer: 1) Zelle bank transfer with no service fee; 2) Venmo or 3) PayPal each with a 3% service fee. I will send you a request for funds and then add on a flat rate $14 mailing fee. Happy to combine shipping if you buy more than one piece. These are one-of-a-kind. Note: Thank you for understanding that all sales are final. Please measure carefully.

See our Deeply Discounted Designer Baskets, too.

#1. Steel Grey Floral Blouse from Zinacantan, Chiapas, land of the flower greenhouses! This is a village in the highlands just beyond San Cristobal de Las Casas where elaborate floral embroidery decorates everything. Machine washable, cold water, gentle cycle. Hang to dry. 23″ wide x 29″ long. Wear out or tuck into pants or a skirt. Shimmering beauty. Was $85. Now $65.

SOLD. #2. Gunmetal Grey Floral Blouse from Zinacantan, Chiapas, land of the flower greenhouses! Great contrast between blouse fabric and embroidery. Elegant and casual comfort, too. Machine washable, cold water, gentle cycle. Hand to dry. 25″ wide x 29″ long. Was $85. Now $65.

left to right: #3, #4, #5

#3, #4 and #5. Three beautiful pillow covers, 100% cotton and hand-woven on the back-strap loom in Chiapas. Reduced from $95 each to $45 each. The brown stripey is beautifully embroidered. The creamy one has traditional design motifs woven into the cloth using the supplementary weft technique.

#6. Embroidered Blouse, 100% cotton, From Tzintzuntzan, the ceremonial center of the pre-Hispanic Purepecha capital along the shores of Lake Patzcuaro, Michoacan. Here, the most astounding embroidery decorates blouses, shirts, and other wearable, telling stories of village life, including weddings and engagements. This blouse is from the most famous embroiderer of them all, Teofila Servin Barriga. Her work commands hundreds, even thousands of dollars! Blouse measures 22-1/2″ wide x 26″ long. $175.

#7. Embroidered Jacket, 100% cotton, from Tzintzuntzan, Michoacan, from Teofila Servin Barriga. Jacket measures 22″ wide x 26″ long and the sleeves are 24-1/2″ long from shoulder seam. Too long? Roll them up! $275.

SOLD. #8. From Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas, a handwoven black blouse with amazing brilliant supplementary weft design woven into the cloth. Wear a Heat-Tech T-shirt underneath for winter warmth and transition into spring and summer with this beautiful, lightweight cotton blouse. Measures 27″ wide x 25″ long. Was $95. Now $55.

SOLD #9. Adorn yourself with a handwoven accent scarf from Venustiano Carranza, Chiapas. A statement in holiday elegance. Was $85. Now $45.

#10. The Francisca Blouse, Purple Haze — all French Knots, intricate and completely made by hand, even the seams and hem! This one is a size LARGE, measuring 17″ wide from shoulder seam to shoulder seam and 28″ long. Sleeves are 3/4 length. Was $145. Now $95.

#11. The Francisca Blouse, Purple Haze — size EXTRA LARGE, measuring 19″ wide from shoulder seam to shoulder seam and 30″ long, with 3/4 length sleeves. Was $145. Now $95.

#12. Tlahuitoltepec black linen shirt jacket with cotton machine stitched embroidery. This embroidery is considered handmade because the seamstress guides the machine free-form! Measures 22″ wide x 26″ long in the front. The back panel of the jacket is 29″ long, designed to cover the tush. Sleeves are 23″ long from the shoulder seam. Was $175. Now $85.

#13. Chakira beaded bodice and fine smocking make this long-sleeved 100% cotton blouse from the mountains of Puebla state a knock-out. Measures 24″ wide x 27″ long. Sleeve length is 18″. Notice the chakira beading at the cuff. Neckline is adjustable with a delicate, handmade drawstring. Embroidered lace accents the bodice and the cuffs. These blouses sold in Santa Fe on the Plaza for $425. Now yours for $165.

See our November 21 post to buy this gourd!

1 Comment

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Endangered Monarch Butterflies in Mexico: On Your Bucket List?

Posted on Thursday, May 26, 2022 | Comments Off on Endangered Monarch Butterflies in Mexico: On Your Bucket List?

Monarch butterflies winter in the Mexican states of Michoacan and Estado de Mexico. Environmentalists report that the butterfly population increased in 2021 by 35% for various reasons, including fewer forest fires and lower rates of logging. But there is still considerable concern because of the use of herbicides to eradicate milkweed in the USA and Canada. Milkweed is essential plant food and egg-laying environment for the Monarchs. And, according to the World Wildlife Fund, climate change with hotter, drier weather, is also affecting migration patterns, often shortening them and putting more stress on the survivability of these amazing insects.

You can read this Washington Post story, Monarch butterfly numbers increase 35%.

I was at the El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the State of Michoacan in 2019, noted as a year that millions of butterflies wintered over from their long journey south, often covering thousands of miles. Along the way, they feed, lay eggs to hatch the next generation, and arrive in Mexico, staying from November to March. Four generations of butterflies live and die along the eight-month migratory path to ensure continuity.

The Purepecha peoples, indigenous to the region, believe that Monarch butterflies are the souls of deceased children who likely died from natural causes. Violent school massacres did not create this lore.

Bucket List Tour 2023: Monarch Butterflies and Michoacan

In the past, I wrote about our group experience seeing the butterflies in Michoacan. I never realized it SHOULD be on everyone’s bucket list until I got there. It was an amazing emotional, spiritual and mystical experience to see millions of butterflies hanging from the tree tops high in the mountains several hours beyond Mexico City. As the sun came out, the butterflies opened their wings and the dark black clusters turned to brilliant orange and the sky begins to flutter, juxtaposing orange against blue and dark green foliage. I experienced this as an affirmation of life, endurance, tenacity and ancient patterns of survival and continuity.

We have five spaces remaining for the 2023 tour. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to make a reservation deposit. This tour will fill.

Here are links to stories about our past experiences:

Fragile, Glorious Monarch Butterflies

Millions of Monarch Butterflies Michoacan Biosphere

We may see millions of Monarch butterflies

Comments Off on Endangered Monarch Butterflies in Mexico: On Your Bucket List?

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged , , , , , ,

Summer Blouses: Mexico Style, For Sale

Posted on Friday, May 3, 2019 | 12 comments

Here in North Carolina summer has arrived. It was 89 degrees Fahrenheit today. How to stay cool and refreshed as the heat arrives? With a beautiful, embroidered or woven blouse made by indigenous Mexican artisans. If you can’t travel with us, this is the next best way to own a piece of wearable art and know that through your purchase you have supported a weaver or embroiderer or sewist.

To buy, please send me an email: norma.schafer@icloud.com Include your name, mailing address with city, state and ZIP code, along with the ITEM NUMBER. I will send you an invoice and add on an $8 charge to mail USPS Priority Mail. As soon as I receive payment, I will ship.

NOTE: ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MAY 9, 2019. The last day I can mail is May 10. I return to Oaxaca on May 11. Thanks very much.

SOLD. #1, black gauze blouse, Amantenango, Chiapas, $65 USD

#1 is a lightweight gauze blouse perfect for summer with a splash of color around the neck and 3/4″ sleeves edges. It measures 24″ wide x 29″ long, and will fit M-L. The embroidery is French knots and traditional embroidery; the garment is 100% sewn by hand. I personally selected this never-worn piece from the maker in the village of Amantenango, Chiapas.

SOLD. #2 is dark brown gauze with a bodice of French knots, $65

#2 is a lightweight gauze blouse perfect for summer with a splash of color around the neck and 3/4″ sleeves edges. It measures 24″ wide x 28-1/2″ long, and will fit M-L. The embroidery is mostly French knots and the garment is 100% sewn by hand. I personally selected this new piece from the maker in the village of Amantenango, Chiapas.

#2 bodice detail — packed with color and embroidery!
#3 is black gauze with gold French knots on bodice, $58

#3 is a lightweight gauze blouse perfect for summer with a undertone of gold French knots on the bodice and 3/4″ sleeves edges. It measures 24″ wide x 28-1/2″ long, and will fit M-L. The embroidery is mostly French knots and the garment is 100% sewn by hand. I personally selected this new piece from the maker in the village of Amantenango, Chiapas.

#3 bodice, gold on black, subtle enough to almost be beige

SOLD. #4 knock-out lime green with floral bodice, fine details, $75

#4 is special. It is densely embroidered with French knots, with fine embroidery details on the back facing and cuffs. The lightweight gauze blouse is perfect for summer. With 3/4″ sleeves edges. It measures 23″ wide x 28″ long, and will fit S-M. The garment is 100% sewn by hand. I personally selected this new piece from the maker in the village of Amantenango, Chiapas.

Detail of back, #4
SOLD. #5 is green on black gauze blouse from Amantenango, Chiapas, $58

#5 is a lightweight gauze blouse perfect for summer with a splash of variegated green around the V-neck and 3/4″ sleeves edges. It measures 24″ wide x 28-1/2″ long, and will fit M-L. The embroidery is mostly French knots and the garment is 100% sewn by hand. Check out the detail on the cuffs and back panel. I personally selected this new piece from the maker in the village of Amantenango, Chiapas.

#5 back panel detail is exquisitely simple
#6 is buttercup yellow gauze, with a bejeweled garden bodice, $58

#6 is a lightweight gauze blouse perfect for summer with a splash of jewel colors around the neck and 3/4″ sleeves edges. It measures 21″ wide x 26″ long, and will fit S-M. The embroidery is mostly French knots and the garment is 100% sewn by hand. I personally selected this new piece from the maker in the village of Amantenango, Chiapas.

#7 is a simple, yet elegant huipil from San Andres Larrainzar, Chiapas, $125

#7 is a beautiful, hand-embroidered, elegant long blouse perfect over a skirt, jeans or leggings. It is 26″ wide and 31″ long. Side seams are machine sewn. Dress it up or down. Hand-wash and line dry.

#7 bodice detail, San Andres Larrainzar huipil
#8 Michoacan beauty, 23″ wide x 25-1/2″ long, $95, hand-embroidered cross-stitch

#9, Chiapas quechquemitl pull-over shawl, poncho, $68, 27″ wide x 31″ long

#9 shimmers with sparkly threads in the style that Chiapas ladies like. This is a perfect beach cover-up or throw it on for a cool and breezy evening. Easy to wash-and-wear, pure polyester, just like the ladies who made it in the village of Pantelho like. New. Purchased directly from the maker.

SOLD. #10 turquoise cotton blouse, hand-loomed, Chiapas, $68

Both #10 and #11 were bought at Rosa and Cristobal’s cooperative in Magdalena Aldama, Chiapas, a village located an hour-and-a-half from San Cristobal de Las Casas. Both measure 22″ wide x 23″ long and will fit size S-M. These were created on the back-strap loom, lovingly woven. I bought them directly from the family. The same bodice pattern is on both sides.

#11, blue/magenta cotton blouse, hand-loomed, Chiapas, $68

12 Comments

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Feathered Plumage: Rebozos in Ahuiran, Michoacan

Posted on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 | 3 comments

Grand Master of Mexican Folk Art Cecelia Bautista Caballero is recognized for her outstanding creativity and innovation. About 30 years ago she developed a weaving technique to re-introduce the feathered plumage of Purepecha royalty into the rebozos (shawls) she makes on the back-strap loom.

Our Michoacan study tour leads us to a humble home on a side street off the central plaza in the tiny village of San Mateo Ahuiran on the Purepecha Plateau. We want to meet, embrace and support this amazing, talented woman. We want to know her daughters who carry on the tradition.

Three thousand threads of fine cotton make up the warp of this back-strap loom. It can take two or three months to weave the cloth, then another two months to hand-knot the elaborate fringes called the punta.

Angeles Rodriguez Bautista, Cecelia’s daughter, demonstrates back-strap loom weaving

We want to explore a region whose DNA is thought to originate from Siberia, when the Bering Straits were a land bridge that brought people to the shores of North America.

Cecelia Bautista Caballero with Norma Schafer in Ahuiran

Cecelia Bautista Caballero is a living treasure. She enters the dimly lit room with a broad smile to welcome us. She is radiant. The light follows her. A rebozo is slung over her shoulder like a backpack. It bulges like a sack of avocados. She drops it’s weight onto a small, wood table and unwraps the folds to reveal a treasure trove of rebozos she has personally woven.

Donna, Linda, Winn modeling feather rebozos, with Angeles

Despite suffering a stroke that leaves its mark on the right side of her face, Cecelia is still productive. Weaving is her life’s work, her self-expression, her passion. With pride, she tells us how she created the feathered trim in the tradition of her ancestors, using turkey, rooster and bird feathers that are either natural or dyed with local plant tints.

Cecelia’s niece Bertha Estrada Huipe, with Carolyn who bought Bertha’s rebozo

One reason we gravitate to visiting small villages is for the satisfaction of meeting the maker and buying directly from them. We know their prices are fair and just. We know that what we buy will help them feed their families and reinvest in materials. There is something special in this exchange, more than a transaction of money for product. It is filled with appreciation and love.

Even more than this, the journey feels like a pilgrimage to pay personal homage to talented people. Sometimes this journey takes hours or days. We are like explorers, uncovering the past and investing in the future.

We traveled to Ahuiran from Uruapan, designated a Pueblo Magico for its outstanding national park Caputitzio, known for stunning waterfalls. This was our base for two nights as we explored the area after leaving the Monarch Butterfly sanctuaries.

This brought us closer to the indigenous town of Paracho, where we watched luthiers make guitars, violins, mandolins, and other string instruments. The main street is lined with craftsmen fulfilling special orders for musicians around the world.

3 Comments

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged , , , ,

Fragile, Glorious Monarch Butterflies in Michoacan, Mexico

Posted on Friday, February 8, 2019 | 10 comments

We are in sacred space. Coming to Mineral de Angangueo is like making a pilgrimage. Here in the winter home of the Monarch Butterfly — Mariposa Monarca — these glorious insects hang in colonies like giant grape clusters, suspended from the branches of majestic Douglas fir trees. We are at 10,000 feet altitude. The height is dizzying. The spectacle even more so. A million wings beating that together sound like raindrops.

At the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve

I hear the heartbeat of Mother Nature. I hear the natural cycle of life. I feel the will to live. I see small, fragile, glorious golden insects that travel up to 3,000 miles to this sanctuary. This is a cycle repeated over thousands of years. From Canada to the United States to Mexico and back again.

This is a survival mission that depends on habitat and escape from natural predators. We are witness to life. It reminds me to be vigilant about conserving our resources. We are at the edge. Perhaps past it.

The orange you see are hundreds of butterfly wings.

Fear of Monarch Butterfly extinction because of milkweed extermination from insecticides. Yet, the population this year increased 144%. Why? It is a mystery. The Michoacan colonies were not discovered until the 1970’s, relatively recently.

Monarch butterflies drinking from a creek, Michoacan, Mexico

This is the year of the butterfly in Mexico. A local trail guide says there are between 900,000 and 120 million here. It is warm. Sunny. Perfect. The future is unpredictable.

Clustered colonies of butterflies, dark shadows against a pure blue sky

On the first day into butterfly territory, our group of ten women participating with me on our Michoacan Folk Art and Butterfly Study Tour enter the sanctuary at El Rosario. It is the largest and most easily accessible of those in the region. Our amazing, knowledgeable Patzcuaro guide, Jaime Hernandez Balderas of Animecha Tours, leads the way.

We ride horseback into remote Sierra Chincua Monarch Butterfly Reserve
The Gang of Five Butterfly Navigators to Sierra Chincua: Cindy, Donna, Susan, Susie, Norma

On the second day, five of us (plus Jaime) continue on to Sierra Chincua, a smaller, more remote site, accessible only by horseback and foot. I hadn’t been on a horse since I rode in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, as a young teen. The adventure of butterfly discovery was heightened by the experience of riding down dusty, rocky slopes to where only few go.

Fallen Monarchs at trailside, taken by birds and mice

We wear masks to protect us from the dusty trail that leads down into the reserve where the butterfly colonies roost. The colonies can move. Huge, living organisms of beating wings in the tree-tops from January through March each year.

Deep into the Douglas Fir forest, a sacred sanctuary

Basic facts about Monarch Butterflies

Sierra Chincua is deep in the forest. Trees become a cathedral with sunlight filtering through fir needles. Here it is quieter. People are more reverential. The viewing site is small, room enough for perhaps twenty people. We look down the hillside and are at eye level with the clusters of the colonies. They look like large black sacks against the blue sky backdrop. I see distant volcanic mountains. Breathe deeply. Take it in. Want it to stay with me. This meditation on the extraordinary.

I pull out my binoculars and focus skyward. In the shadows of the clusters I see the veins of thousands, wings pulsing, undulating. I look to the light and see the miraculous orange wings. A wind comes up and the wings pulse in rapid succession. The trees move to bring in more sun. Insects take flight. It looks like a shimmering sea of gold.

I’d say this is a bucket list experience.

Me and Winn on horseback, preparing to ride to to the colonies

There is no telling what the future will bring for these creatures as global warming encroaches, as pollution impacts our environment, as chemicals destroy habitat.

We meet a local Angangueo woman along the trail who safeguards the path

The indigenous people of the region say that the butterflies are the souls of our loved ones. One of our travelers says that if you don’t believe in God, you will now. Regardless of religion or belief system, being here is transcendent, resplendent, reverent. It is a sanctuary where the spiritual envelops us. Each moment here offers hope for survival and continuity.

Donna emerges from photographing a butterfly

I want to recommend that you read Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, and that you read about the Monarch Butterfly migration from Mexico to the USA, then to Canada and back again.

10 Comments

Posted in Oaxaca Mexico art and culture

Tagged , , , , ,