10/30/24 Day of the Dead Tour in Oaxaca: Hands-on Bucket-List Experience
On October 30, 2024, we give you a wide-ranging, immersion Day of the Dead experience of a lifetime! Construct a Day of the Dead Altar. Participate in a workshop using wild marigold botanical dyes. Savor traditional tamales made with mole amarillo with a local Zapotec family. Taste artisanal mezcal. Discuss culture, traditions, and Zapotec history. […]
Textil Zacoalpan, Native Mexican Cotton Becomes Glorious Cloth
On our first tour day, we make our way to Ometepec, Guerrero, where we spend the first night on the road after traveling north on MEX 200, the coastal highway to Acapulco and beyond. Early the next morning, after breakfast, we travel about a hour northeast to the tiny village of Zacoalpan where we meet […]
Pinotepa de Don Luis Weaver Dazzles Us on the Oaxaca Coast
Our first stop in Pinotepa de Don Luis is at the small home and workshop of weaver Sebastiana Guzman. Her work is always very fine — she uses the finest cotton from the best mill in Puebla state, as well as hand-spun coyuchi brown, white and green cotton. The village is known for its work […]
Las Sanjuaneras Cooperative, on the Oaxaca Coast, San Juan Colorado
At the end of a winding road about an hour-and-a-half up the mountain from MEX 200, the coastal highway leading north to Acapulco and beyond, is the Mixtec village of San Juan Colorado. Here, almost all the women weave and there are over thirty registered cooperatives. One of our favorites is Las Sanjuaneras. Why? They […]
12 Cozy Warm, Shawls + Scarves Added to Shop
Just in time for winter bluster, order soon to receive before the holidays, these scarves and shawls are from Chiapas and Oaxaca, handwoven on either the back-strap or flying shuttle pedal loom. Materials are wool, cotton, and cashmere. The colors are extraordinary. We hope you see for yourself. When you order from the shop, you […]
ORIGINAL 2023 Textile Extravaganza: 400+ Mexican Artisans
Coming up in Mexico City from November 15-19, is ORIGINAL. This is a major textile and folk art event that will attract visitors from all over the world. We have organized a long weekend tour to Mexico City that will take us to ORIGINAL every day where we will meet and have private conversations with […]
Churro Sheep, the Heritage of Spanish Conquest, and Tierra Wools
There are so many similarities between living in Oaxaca, Mexico, and northern New Mexico. With the conquest, the Spanish brought the pedal loom and sheep to the Americas. Churro sheep, an Iberian peninsula breed and the first to be domesticated in the Americas, are especially sturdy. They survive, even thrive, in harsh climates and at […]
This Weekend, Oaxaca Rug Sale in Nashville, TN
We are coming to Parachute Home in The Gulch neighborhood of Nashville this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 9, 10, 11, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Come join us if you live in Nash or nearby! Janet Chavez Santiago is representing her family of weavers from Galeria Fe y Lola in […]
Think Spring! 13 San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca Huipiles by Brisaida for You
SOLD OUT! Thanks to all for your support. Brisaida is one of my favorite weavers from San Juan Colorado, on Oaxaca’s Costa Chica, that stretch of land along the Pacific Coast extending from Puerto Escondido north to Acapulco. We visit her on our Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour. She contacted me last week to appeal […]
2024 Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour
Arrive on Saturday, January 13 and depart on Monday, January 22, 2024 — 9 nights, 10 days in textile heaven! We go deep, and not wide. We give you an intimate, connecting experience. We spend time to know the culture. You will meet artisans in their homes and workshops, enjoy local cuisine, dip your hands […]
What is a Oaxaca Fiberista?
My friend Carol Egan from Savannah who has wintered in Oaxaca for almost 20 years uses the term Fiberista to describe those of us who love and wear (and who demonstrate cultural appreciation for) clothing made on the back-strap loom by the very talented indigenous weavers of Oaxaca. Carol is a graduate of RISD (Rhode […]
Virtual Trunk Show: 16 Oaxaca + Chiapas Huipiles
Before I left Oaxaca in August to return to New Mexico (to pack, make the mortgage deadline, move, get cataract surgery, unpack, get settled), I went through my collection of back-strap loomed dresses and blouses (huipiles and blusas) in my Teotitlan del Valle casita and made some hard decisions about what to sell. I did […]
Zapotec Oaxaca and Oriental Rugs for Sale
I am offering several rugs from my collection for sale! Why? They don’t fit into my Taos house. The sizes and colors are not adapting well to my new environment. Some are new. All are in excellent condition. How to Buy: send an email to norma.schafer@icloud.com and tell me the rug you want to purchase […]
A World of Indigo in Albuquerque, NM
In Oaxaca, indigo is cultivated in the hot, sub-tropical climate along the southern coast in a town called Santiago Niltepec on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. A leafy plant, it is usually found in the band around the world along the equator. For example: Africa. India. Japan. South Carolina. There are exceptions, as this Indigo Around […]
San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca, Where Textiles Tell Stories
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 […]
In Reverse: Oaxaca to Me and Rug Sale
My goddaughter Janet Chavez is coming to Durham on April 26 and will drive west with me to Taos, New Mexico. I call this bringing Oaxaca to me! I’m excited because this will be her first road trip across the USA. We haven’t seen each other for over a year and there is a lot […]
2022 Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour
Arrive on Saturday, January 15 and depart on Monday, January 24, 2022 — 9 nights, 10 days in textile heaven! Starting at $2,895. ONE SPACE OPEN! We are hopeful for 2022! This tour is strictly limited to 10 participants –6 single rooms and 2 shared rooms. At Oaxaca Cultural Navigator, we aim to give you […]
Mostly Mexico Mixed Bag Sale: Textiles, Jewelry
There are 29 items in this sale today. They include earrings, necklaces and bracelets, handwoven and natural dyed wool rugs from Oaxaca, and two beautiful pieces of clothing. It’s a mixed bag! All are reduced significantly as I prepare to make my move to Taos, NM. Prices start as low as $15. I hope you […]
Deck Your Halls with Oaxaca Rugs: Shop Open
We got this shipment of hand-woven Oaxaca rugs just in time for the holidays. Even if you are celebrating small (and we hope you are), these floor coverings (or display them as wall hangings) are a great decor enhancer for a fresh, new look. Made in Oaxaca, Mexico, by Taller Teñido a Mano on a […]
Give Meaning: Las Sanjuaneras Textiles from Oaxaca–Handmade, Heartfelt
A handmade, hand-woven textile from Oaxaca is a meaningful gift this year when so few tourists are there to support artisans. Instead of taking you into remote villages to meet the makers this year, I am bringing what they make to the USA to offer them to you. Please support them. Today’s Sale Features Las […]
Meaningful Gifts That Support Oaxaca Artisans
This is a preview of what will be our last sale before the holidays. If you love Oaxaca and are keeping track of Covid-19 there, you know that the CDC has urged us to NOT travel there. All the social media groups I belong to warn of the same: Covid-19 is raging, hospitals are full […]
Coming This Week: Woven Rugs + French Knot Blouses
First, I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported the artisans whose work I have featured here. The dollars I have sent back to them in Oaxaca and Chiapas have helped sustain families through this health crisis — Covid-19 — when there is no tourism. I also want to add that there […]
Shop Open: Textiles — Amusgos of Xochistlahuaca
The Amusgo people live in the remote southwestern region of Guerrero and northwestern area of Oaxaca known as the Costa Chica. They have been there for generations, long before there were state borders that separated them. In Xochistlahuaca (so-chees-lah-wahkah), and throughout the Amusgo region, the women are noted for their extraordinary back-strap loom weaving. Refresh […]
Back to Textiles: Amusgo Weaving, Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero
So-Chees-Lah-Hwa-Kah. I spell it out in transliteration so you can say it more easily. Short hand is So-Chee! I took the last two weeks off from writing and blogging to take a road trip to the Midwest where I visited friends in South Bend, Indiana, and Columbus, Ohio. It was a welcome diversion from routine. […]
Shop Open: Las Sanjuaneras Textiles Huipiles, Kaftans, Tunics
Call them huipiles, kaftans, tunics or ponchos. Whatever you call them, call them comfortable, cozy, casual cover-ups. Perfect for lounging or working from home. Perfect for a socially distant safe get-together. Perfect for feeling good in times of Covid-19 and related stress. We are looking for beauty in our lives now especially, and this is […]
Shop Open: Textiles from San Mateo del Mar, Oaxaca
It’s hot on the southern coast of Oaxaca on the Pacific Ocean where it meets the state of Chiapas. Hot and humid. Situated on a spit of sand in the Juchitan district sits the fishing village of San Mateo del Mar. The region is home to about 14,000 Huave speakers, a native indigenous language. The […]
Introducing Taller Teñido a Mano Natural Dye Textiles For Sale
I’m doing my best these days from my little apartment in Durham, North Carolina, to help promote Oaxaca artisans, primarily those who work in textiles. Today, I am excited to announce that I am representing the work from the natural dye studio Taller Teñido a Mano located in downtown Oaxaca city. See below for photos […]
Arrived: New Box of Oaxaca Huipiles
I promised it would give you advance notice about when I received this next shipment of 14 huipiles from Las Sanjuaneras, San Juan Colorado, Oaxaca. The box arrived today! Please keep a look-out for when I will post them for sale. It will likely be on Friday, August 21, 2020 or Saturday, August 22, 2020. […]
Las Sanjuaneras Huipils + More to Come
I was overwhelmed by the beauty of these textiles and overcome by your response in support of this great women’s weaving cooperative from San Juan Colorado. Thank you all for your incredible support. This beauty is now SOLD. #5. To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address. I will mark it SOLD, send you […]
Bringing Oaxaca Textiles to You: Las Sanjuaneras Cooperative
Oh, dear, I thought. We have a textile tour to visit the cooperatives on the Oaxaca coast this January 2021. What if we don’t get there because of Covid-19? The best I can do now is bring them to us until we know if we hold this tour … or not. I contacted Las Sanjuaneras […]