Tag Archives: Oaxaca

Oaxaca Textiles, Craft + Culture Tour with Taos Wools

This January 8-15, 2026 program is more than a tour. It includes weaving and natural dyeing workshops, a visit to artisan markets, studio visits to meet makers. Immerse yourself in all that Oaxaca has to offer with travel and hands-on experiences. We are partnering with Joseph Barry and Taos Wools, located in Arroyo Seco, a charming village on the way to the Taos Ski Valley, to offer this program.

  • Visit artisan studios in Teotitlan del Valle, the tapestry weaving center of Mexico, including silk and wool weavers
  • Participate in a two-day natural dye workshop
  • Learn or enhance your skills in a three-day tapestry weaving workshop using a frame loom
  • Travel to the mountain village of Chichicapam for a one-day drop spindle (malacate) spinning demonstration, carding churro fleece
  • Wander the expansive Sunday Tlacolula Market, a confluence of art, craft and more
  • Meet a red clay potter in her famous ceramic studio
  • Enjoy a Oaxaca City grand finale dinner with our group and leaders

(No prior weaving or dyeing experience is necessary. This is open and valuable to all levels of fiber artists and fiber admirers.)

DAY 1 | Arrive, settle in & welcome! – January 8, 2026

Arrive, travel to Teotitlan del Valle on your own, at your own expense. We will provide directions from the airport via secure taxi. No host dinner at a local comedor. Overnight in Teotitlan del Valle. Meals included: None.

DAY 2 | Introduction, visit weaving cooperatives, begin dye workshop —January 9, 2026

Breakfast, introduction to the textile culture of Oaxaca with a presentation including topics of community, traditions, and culture. We will meet with two cooperatives and workshops in Teotitlan del Valle that create tapestries, clothing, and handbags. We will meet at the dye studio and begin creating naturally dyed skeins of wool. Overnight in Teotitlan del Valle. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

About the Natural Dye Workshop: Participants will dye a range of colors using a variety of plants and over-dyeing techniques. This includes dyeing 15 wool skeins of 10 grams each, with enough colors and materials to weave a small sampler on our weaving day. Participants should bring a notebook and pencil to take notes of the dyeing process.

DAY 3 | Natural Dye Workshop – January 10, 2026

We’ll resume the natural dye workshop to dye skeins of wool exploring locally sourced plant materials of indigo, pomegranate, wild marigold, plus cochineal. The workshop will cover chemistry in dye preparation and techniques for over-dyeing. Box lunch at dye studio. After lunch, we will visit a studio that grows silkworms. Here they spin, dye, and weave the silk into fine garments. Overnight in Teotitlan del Valle. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.


DAY 4 | Tlacolula Market Meander, Pottery Studio Visit – January 11, 2026

After breakfast, we will spend most of the day at the amazing Sunday Tlacolula market, the once-a-week tianguis that attracts farmers, artisans, household suppliers, and everything and anything you can imagine one needs to run a household in Oaxaca. We will have lunch at a local comedor, then visit a famous red pottery studio in San Marcos Tlapazola.  Back in Teotitlan, we will start the weaving workshop. First, we will learn about warping frame looms. Overnight in Teotitlan del Valle. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

DAY 5 – Hand-Spinning Demonstration  — January 12, 2026

Breakfast. We will then take an excursion to the mountain village of Chichicapam to meet a family of spinners who work with only the finest quality Churro sheep wool. We will have an opportunity to spin yarn using the drop-spindle (malacate) and purchase handspun yarn. Lunch will be enroute. Back in Teotitlan, we will continue with our weaving workshop. Overnight in Teotitlan del Valle. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

DAY 6 | Weaving workshop— January 13, 2026

Breakfast. Morning weaving workshop until 4:00 pm– we’ll be working on the frame loom to produce a sampler or wall hanging approximately 10” x 18” using the yarns prepared during the natural dye workshop. Lunch at the weaving studio. Afternoon on your own. Overnight in Teotitlan del Valle. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.



DAY 7 | Weaving workshop and overnight in Oaxaca– January 14, 2026

Breakfast. Morning weaving workshop to continue working on and finishing projects. Box lunch at the studio. Depart for Oaxaca, but first we stop to visit an outstanding flying shuttle loom weaver in El Tule. Finale dinner at an excellent Oaxaca restaurant.

Overnight in Oaxaca City.

DAY 8 | Hasta luego! — January 15, 2026

Breakfast. Depart on flights home from Oaxaca airport. We will help arrange taxi transportation at your own expense. Stay on additional nights and join our extensions.

What Is Included

  • 7 nights lodging
  • 6 breakfasts
  • 6 lunches
  • Grand Finale Gala Dinner in Oaxaca City
  • Van transportation
  • Complete guide and translation services
  • Natural dye, weaving, and spinning workshops, materials, and instruction
  • Artisan demonstrations
  • Conversations about textiles, culture, community
  • Authentic, locally prepared foods

The tour does NOT include airfare, taxes, tips, travel insurance, liquor or alcoholic beverages, some meals, and local transportation as specified in the itinerary. We reserve the right to substitute artisans, guides, and alter the program as needed.

Cost • $3,350 double room with private bath (sleeps 2) • $3895 single room with private bath (sleeps 1)

Extensions:

January 15: Oaxaca Walking Tour, ½ day: Visits to textile artisans and galleries, $145 per person (does not include meals or lodging) (2 people minimum needed to hold this)

January 16: Ocotlan Highway Tour, full day: Visits to villages, woodcarvers, ceramic artists, embroiderers. Includes lunch and transportation. (does not include breakfast or lodging). $195 per person. (2 people minimum needed to hold this)

How to Register:  First, complete the Registration Form and send it to us and tell us which payment method you want to use to make your deposit: Zelle (no fee) or credit card (4% fee). See below.

To Register, Policies, Procedures & Cancellations–Please Read

Reservations and Cancellations.  A $500 non-refundable deposit is required payable to Norma Schafer, Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC, to guarantee your spot. The balance is due in two equal payments. The second payment of 50% of the balance is due on or before August 15, 2025. The third 50% payment of the balance is due on or before November 1, 2025. We accept payment using a Zelle transfer (no fees) or a credit card (4% service fee). When you complete the registration form and send it to us, we will send you a request for deposit. After November 1, 2025, there are no refunds. If you cancel on or before November 1, 2024 we will refund 50% of your deposit received to date, less the $500 non-refundable reservation deposit. After that, there are no refunds.

If we cancel for whatever reason, we will offer a 100% refund of all amounts received to date, less the non-refundable deposit.

All documentation for plane reservations, required travel insurance, and personal health issues must be received 45 days before the program start or we reserve the right to cancel your registration without reimbursement.

NOTE:  If you have walking impediments or you rely on other travelers for personal assistance, then this is not the trip for you. Oaxaca city is close to 6,000 feet altitude. We travel to villages that are 7,000 feet altitude. For altitude or motion sickness, please consult your doctor and come prepared with adequate medications. We recommend that all travelers have up-to-date COVID-19 vaccinations and bring two antigen testing kits to test along the way. We also recommend RSV and Flu vaccines.

How to Register:  First, complete the Registration Form and email it to us. We will then send you a request to make your reservation deposit.

Terrain, Walking and Group Courtesy: We recommend you bring a walking stick and wear sturdy shoes. Traveling with a small group has its advantages, and also means that independent travelers will need to make accommodations to group needs and schedules. We include plenty of free time to go off on your own.

Driving in Oaxaca

It’s not for the faint of heart.

Driving in Oaxaca can be daunting, especially if you are a foreigner who doesn’t live here. It is for me, and I’ve lived here for twenty years and driven a car here for sixteen of those. First off, you need to know that while car rental costs may be reasonable, you cannot drive here without Mexican insurance. If you are in an accident, you are presumed guilty and will be jailed, no questions asked. When you buy Mexican insurance through a rental agency, it can cost four to five times more than the rental cost.

Then, city traffic is daunting. Streets are clogged. Local drivers may double-park on the street, their emergency lights flashing, making the right lane impassable, leaving you barely enough room to squeeze by in the single remaining lane. Then there are the buses.  The major thoroughfares are filled with them, and they stop at every corner. Get stuck behind a bus and it feels like you are waiting forever.  Try to squeeze around it, and you are in for a wait for whoever will let you in. Turn signals are ignored.

Pedestrians don’t have the right of way, but that doesn’t stop people from leaping out in front of you when you least expect it. You can count on some drivers who will run red lights. So, if the light turns green, don’t take it as a signal that you can move ahead through an intersection unrestricted. There will always be someone in a hurry running a yellow light. Plus, there are those nasty sancudos (we call them mosquitos) — these are the motorcycles that appear from no where to pass on either right or left.

There are serpentine intersections where the right lane swerves left, and if you don’t pay attention, you will go straight and be confronted with cars coming toward you. This occurs at the corner of Avenida Heroes de Chapultepec and the Baseball Stadium.  Once, to correct myself at the last minute, I had to drive over a huge concrete median to avoid hitting cars coming directly at me. Another such intersection is where Mex 175—Avenida Eduardo Mata meets Avenida Simbolos Patrios which goes to the airport and then on over the mountains to Puerto Escondido.

I can be driving in the right lane. Suddenly, a car sneaks up on my right, passes in front almost perpendicular, and crosses over to the left to make a left turn. They are impatient and do not want to wait in line in the left turn lane. I see this repeatedly—a deft move we never see in the USA. People here are bold.

How does one get a driver’s license in Oaxaca? This is what is required: One takes an online driver’s exam that consists of 15 multiple-choice questions that must be completed within 30 minutes. The passing score is 12 correct answers. This is done at home and online, so anyone can look up the correct answers. You then take a printout of the score to the local driver’s license office, pay a fee – about $150 dollars, and you have a license. No driver’s test is required. Most drivers are not qualified, IMHO.

Then there are the taxis and colectivos that travel the highways between remote villages and the city, carrying passengers who have no personal vehicles. The colectivos are always packed, usually with four or five people in the back seat and two passengers in the front, one stuck straddling the stick shift. (No one wants that spot.) The drivers make more money when they can get as many round trips into a day as possible, so they go fast, faster than the speed limit. If the speed limit is 90 kilometers per hour (56 mph), they may go 120 (75 mph). The MEX 190 highway that goes from my village and the city has two lanes, one in each direction. But it functions as a four-lane highway. There is always someone going faster, passing on left or right, and it is common to see an accident involving a motorcycle, a taxi, and another passenger vehicle. I’m super vigilant when I drive this road.

Would I recommend renting a car and driving around yourself? NO. I suggest you hire a taxi or car service to take you where you want to go, make a reservation with a guide, or take a tour. You will not be frazzled, and you will enjoy your time here even more.

It’s a Dog’s Life in the Campo

Twelve years ago, when I moved into my casita in the campo, I was the only one out here except for a few wild dogs, discarded by owners because they were either no longer cute puppies, grew bigger than expected and ate too much, or needed veterinary care that was too expensive. It was all milpas then, corn fields intermingled with squash and beans, the traditional indigenous diet of Mexico. I remember hearing the raucous caw of crows, the high-pitched screams of coyotes at dusk, the rustling of dried corn leaves in winter, the proliferation of orange-flowered wild marigolds ready for plucking during Day of the Dead, and blood-red poinsettias, native to this area, shooting out from the tops of long stalks at Christmas. Earth has her cycles, and I am part of it here.

The campo is the agricultural fields beyond the Rio Grande, the small stream that borders the village on the north side.  It used to be the outskirts of the village, but no more. As the population grew and more migrants returned home after years of working abroad and sending money home to build, new houses began to proliferate in the campo.

In the summer rainy season, water gushes down from the reservoir on the foothills, built eighty years ago. It is the source of life here. I still see the grandmothers in their faded gray, black, and wine-red plaid wrap-around handwoven skirts worn thin from more than fifty years of washing. The skirts are secured at the waist with loomed red belts dyed with cochineal, decorated with fringes and tassels. Sometimes, I see the the abuelas washing laundry in this stream, kneeling and bending to rinse, drying their laundry on the bushes lining the stream. Here, donkeys and horses drink their fill, too. Here, the wild dogs wallow in the mud to clean themselves, taking refreshment, as well.

This morning, the birds are singing. In the distance, I hear the cocks crowing and dogs barking. It is past breakfast time. Two days ago, as I walked, two hiking sticks in hand to guide me over uneven terrain, I circled the periphery of the two-acre property I live on. It was late in the day, and I could feel the chill beginning to set in. It will be cold tonight, I thought.

As I circled, I decided to make a detour behind my casita. I noticed a small, black, furry lump huddled in the corner of the concrete platform that holds the water cistern I use for the plants. It was a whimpering puppy. I scooped it up, and its small body was shaking uncontrollably. What could I do but rescue it, bring it inside, make it warm, feed it? What I would do beyond that was never in my consciousness.

You may remember that about a year-and-a-half ago, I wrote about the black dog named Zopilote that I tried to rescue and who escaped. I wanted to capture, adopt, and neuter her before she could have babies. I was not successful. This time, I wasn’t going to let that happen again. When I returned here in early January, my family told me Zopi was dead, either poisoned or killed with a gun. Life for dogs in the campo is harsh.

When I looked at this puppy, I knew she was part of Zopilote’s lineage, with long legs, wide black eyes, a well-shaped pointed nose, and black fur with white paw markings. She was beautiful. My friend, Arnulfo, identified her as a she. But I didn’t name her, not knowing if I would keep her. I didn’t want to bond. She curled up on my lap, turned her head to look at me with doleful eyes and I was hooked. I wrote to Merry Foss who runs Teo Tails, a sterilization clinic here. What do I feed her? I asked. Impatient, I looked online. No cow milk. That’s good. All I have is almond milk; I warmed it up to wrist temperature, just like you do for a baby. I used a small spoon to bring the liquid to her mouth, and she began to lap. I tipped the cup and she slurped it all up.

That night, she wailed. I put in earplugs and wrapped the blankets over my head. Finally, I fell asleep. Eventually, she did, too, settling into a corner in the living room, her nose tight against the corner where the north and east walls meet, where I found her in the morning. Her cries were baby-like, yearning for her mother. I put her on my lap to soothe her.

Merry said, take her to the veterinary clinic she works with in Tlacolula. So, I did. The vet said, this baby was sick with intestinal inflammation, mucous, and fleas. She was pegged at two months old, and undernourished. After administering the exam and then dosing with proper medicine, the vet opened a small pouch of food, and I hand fed the puppy. I left with her tucked into a shopping bag after paying the equivalent $50 USD bill, and medicine, syringes, and puppy food, along with a list of instructions in hand.

At home, we settled into the hammock. It was a spectacular afternoon. Clear blue skies, 78-degree weather, puffy clouds floating over the 11,000-foot high mountains. We were shielded from the sun by a guaje tree, red pods ripe with dangling overhead, an ancient source of sustenance. Guaje is an acacia tree native to southern Mexico that produces long, flat pods filled with crisp tender green seeds. These seeds have a very pleasant, mild garlic flavor. They look, feel, and taste similar to pumpkin seeds. The tree’s fringed leaves left mottled shadows below. It was like swinging under a canopy. A yellow songbird perched on one of the branches. The puppy, still unnamed, was splayed on my belly dozing intermittently between deep sighs.

She got up, stretched, and began panting. Her legs were unsteady on the hammock. She peered over the edge, pushed her head through the netting, walked across my outstretched body, and seemed restless. I thought she needed to pee. So, I swung my legs around, stood up, and put her on the ground. She steadied herself and in seconds, she took off for the corn fields and disappeared.

I’m angry at myself for not knowing better. I believed this puppy had bonded with me and would stay close. I had dreams of her trailing me, little black tail wagging. I imagined training her to fetch, to obey on command, to wear a collar and be led by a leash. I would get her spayed at five months old and she would become my companion for the rest of my days here. The other two campo dogs, Butch and Tia, came to me fully formed. Butch was about six when he appeared. Tia was yearling. That was eight years ago. Butch now has trouble walking and Tia has slowed down considerably. A new puppy felt right.

I loved the feeling of having this small animal nestled on me. I loved touching her fur, rubbing her little nose, scratching her head, and stroking her. I thought This is just what I need. In an instant of misjudgment, she was gone. I doubt she will return. The call of the pack is powerful. This is about ancient instincts. I have to accept and let go. Another lesson learned.

A Writer’s Life in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca

Oh, goodness. Where to start? Since Thursday evening, January 2, I have participated in a women’s creative writing workshop retreat in the Oaxaca village of Teotitlan del Valle. I have produced this workshop (or something like it) for the past fourteen years (minus the last two, when we took a break). We end on Wednesday morning, January 8, and I find myself digging deeper because I’m thinking about writing a memoir.


This could be considered a daunting task, but I am learning that this type of writing can come in chunks and snippets and does not need to be complete. It can be a series of essays that string together in a related and meaningful way — or not. Randomness is something I try to embrace. Maybe it’s because my brain works that way.


Our writing instructor, Marcia Meier, says that writing a memoir is more about taking things out than putting things in. She also emphasizes that most of us have several memoirs in us. You can write as many memoirs as you have had different experiences.


Different from an autobiography, which is a factual accounting, usually from birth to the time of writing and encompassing events, relationships, achievements, and challenges, a memoir focuses on specific themes, emotions, and reflections. This is a more personal and introspective approach to writing. A short memoir can be several hundred words, pages, or more. It doesn’t have to be 50-100,000 words! The key is to focus on telling a compelling and cohesive story, regardless of length.


Marcia has had over 10 books published, plus many essays, and creative works. She ran a California writer’s conference and literary press. She was a journalist, university professor, editor, teacher, and coach. Her memoir, Face, took her fifteen years to write, edit, and submit for publication. This must have been a daunting task and an inspiration for each of us. This book won the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award.

Each day, Marcia gives us writing exercises for inspiration. She reads us poetry, prose, memoirs, and fiction by familiar writers or some we have never heard of. She gives us challenges: identify an inanimate object and have it speak to you about who you are and where you live. She asks us to list our fears about our writing and anyone connected to it. What would they say or think if they read this? She gives us colored pencils and paper and instructs us to draw our dreams. She opens a box of play dough and asks us to shape something meaningful. These exercises open us up to the writing process, freeing us from constraints.



We dig deep into memoirs, creative non-fiction, and personal essays. Our participants range from novice to experienced. This year, women have come from Sydney, Australia, Oaxaca, California, Arizona, and New Mexico, to write.


We are now on day five with one more to go. This is a small, intimate group. We read what we have written to each other, giving supportive feedback. No one is critical. We are all in this together.

What participants say about Marcia Meier.

Open, gracious, and encouraging
Supportive, gentle, calm
Detailed, positive, organized
Welcoming, knowledgeable, informative
Inspiring, insightful, humorous
Expressive, honest, real

One participant says: She pulls out what we didn’t know was there. She has given me the tools and confidence to write about what makes me happy and sad. She is warm and a great instructor. Her teaching is empowering and transformative, and her style is both nurturing and stimulating.

We will consider offering this workshop in 2026 for six or seven days in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. If you are interested in knowing more, please send me an email. We will put you on an interested list and notify you when we have more details.


Holiday Greetings! Best of the Best Oaxaca Photo Workshop

Sending you warmest greetings from sunny, sparkly Taos, New Mexico, where we are basking in high desert winter sunshine and 50 degrees (20 degrees above average). Perfect walking weather. Global warming? Definitely!

I’m getting ready to return to Oaxaca on December 30. I won’t be complaining about the mid-70’s there. I want to thank you for a spectacular year for Oaxaca Cultural Navigator (OCN). As I focus more and more on health and well-being, I am grateful to YOU, who read and follow and shop here. And, special gratitude for Eric Chavez Santiago and his wife Elsa Sanchez Diaz who are my OCN partners. They are managing so many of the details that I no longer have the bandwidth to concentrate on. They are a blessing to me. I’m also grateful to the many artists and artisans who we know. They contribute their family history, talent, and resourcefulness to what we do, and welcome our guests with open arms and kindness.

As we close out 2024, I want to share with you the Best of the Best Photos from our October Day of the Dead Photography Workshop in Teotitlan del Valle with Luvia Lazo. Luvia had a private session with each workshop participant, and they selected the three best photos they took during our three days together. Here they are:

Andrea James, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Mai Nguyen, New York City

Sherri Kratchmer, Alberta, Canada

Ted Fahy, Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

Priscilla Taylor, Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

Eric Chavez Santiago, Oaxaca, Mexico

Norma Schafer, Taos, NM, and Oaxaca, Mexico

A Word From Luvia Lazo Gutierrez, Award-Winning Photographer

A long time ago, I participated in a workshop that Norma organized. She brought professional photographers from the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies to Oaxaca to teach us about composition, lighting, tips, and tools for using the camera. This opportunity helped immensely to improve my approach to photography.

Over the years, I discovered the most important tool for me: Storytelling. There came a point in my career when I realized that as long as I could tell a story in a natural, honest, and sincere way, it would bring me more joy and create deeper empathy with the subjects I was portraying.

When I was invited to give this workshop, my challenge was to teach this lesson to the participants: How do we begin to see again without being influenced by everything we have learned from others? How do we start to discover our personal way of seeing the world through the lens of our cameras?

Teaching is an honor because it provides the opportunity to exchange ideas, learn, and share. During this workshop, I emphasized that we all have a story to tell and a unique way of seeing the world. The photographs that each participant took, reflected this, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Are you interested in our next Portrait and Street Photography Workshop in 2026 with Luvia?

Send an email and we will add you to our interested list.