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Why Travel With Us: Help sustain regenerative traditions.
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- We know the culture! This is our land! We are locally owned and operated.
- Eric Chavez Santiago is tri-lingual --Spanish, English, Zapotec.
- Eric was founding director of education, Museo Textil de Oaxaca + folk art expert
- Norma Schafer has lived in Oaxaca since 2005.
- Norma is a seasoned university educator.
- We have deep connections with artists and artisans.
- 63% of our travelers repeat -- high ratings, high satisfaction.
- Wide ranging expertise: textiles, folk art, pottery, cultural wisdom.
- We give you a deep immersion to best know Oaxaca and Mexico.
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We organize private travel + tours for museums, arts, organizations, collectors + appreciators.
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Creating Connection and 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. Create value and memories. Enjoy hands-on experiences. Make a difference.
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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.
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OCN Creates Student Scholarship at Oaxaca Learning Center Giving back is a core value. Read about it here
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Meet Makers. Make a Difference
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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.
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Programs can be scheduled to meet your independent travel plans. Send us your available dates.
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Arts organizations, museums, designers, retailers, wholesalers, curators, universities and others come to us to develop artisan relationships, customized itineraries, meetings and conferences. It's our pleasure to make arrangements.
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Select Clients *Abeja Boutique, Houston *North Carolina Museum of Art *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
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Tell us how we can put a program together for you! Send an email norma.schafer@icloud.com
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- WEAVE Podcast: Oaxaca Coast Textiles & Tour
- NY Times, Weavers Embrace Natural Dye Alternatives
- NY Times, Open Thread–Style News
- NY Times, 36-Hours: Oaxaca, Mexico
Our Favorites
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- Friends of Oaxaca Folk Art
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- Mexican Indigenous Textiles Project
- Museo Textil de Oaxaca
- Oaxaca Lending Library
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- Taller Teñido a Mano Natural Dyes
Packing Tips
I bring one giant suitcase with me filled with good, clean used clothing for infants, children, and women size 10 and under. Shoes, women’s size 6 and under, are useful, too. I fill it to the max — 50 lbs. worth! and when I arrive we put out the word. I get these clothes by sending an email out to my workplace and friends. I usually get to the quota within a couple of days! If you are interested in doing this, send an email to Annie at banzoletta@yahoo.com and she’ll let you know who to make contact with in Teotitlan for distributing the needed clothing. Annie and friends have a women and family support project going.
In the outside pocket of the suitcase I pack bubble wrap and clear packing tape. If I don’t have enough, I get more bubble from Mailboxes, Etc. in Oaxaca City, where it is cheaper that Office Depot. (Yes, they’re both there.)
Okay, so now I have an empty suitcase and can fill it up with whatever I buy. To pack the fragile items securely, I go to the Teotitlan or Tlacalula market and buy a sturdy bamboo woven basket without handle with a diameter and depth to fit the size of my suitcase (this one is a monster). Then I buy a bamboo woven “tray” that is used all over the Oaxaca Valley for serving and displaying. I turn this upside down and use it for the lid. After I’ve packed all the fragile stuff inside, wrapping everything well in bubble, I secure the “lid” to the basket base with the tape, wrapping the tape multiple times around the vertical circumference for a tight fit. If I’ve bought textiles, I put them under the basket, and between the lid of the suitcase and the lid of the basket for cushioning. I have used this technique repeatedly with much success for pottery, carved wood alebrijes, and other fragile items. This last time, my Dolores Porras clay sculpture and masks came through perfectly, as did the pottery from the Aguilar sisters, and the carved animalitos from Jacobo Angeles and Justo Xuana.
Bueno suerte!
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Posted in Cultural Commentary
Tagged contributing good used clothing to Oaxaca people, Oaxaca packing tips, Oaxaca pottery packing tips, packing alebrijes and carved wood figures