Oaxaca Textiles, Craft + Culture Tour with Taos Wools January 2026
This January 8-15, 2026 program is more than a tour. It includes weaving and natural dyeing for workshops, a visit to artisan markets, and 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
In Teotitlan del Valle, Hidden Treasures: Adrian Montaño
My North Carolina friends just left the village after spending a week with me celebrating a belated birthday. It was a bash! Mucho mezcal. Mucha fiesta. Mucha comida. Lots of travel to villages to visit favorite artisans. We spent a morning with antiquarian Adrian Montaño in Teotitlan del Valle. I met Adrian a couple of […]
A Story About Five Wool Rugs for Sale with 100% Natural Dyes, Oaxaca, Mexico
Omar Chavez Santiago went back to Mexico on Saturday but he left these five beautiful hand-woven tapestry rugs (tapetes) behind for me to sell for him and his family. Omar’s family from Galeria Fe y Lola, use 100% churro sheep wool that is hand-spun on the drop spindle (malacate) in the Mixtec region of Oaxaca, […]
Oaxaca Rug Exhibition + Sale @ Dos Perros, Durham, NC, October 5, 5:30-8:30 PM
El Dio del Maize: Corn God of Mexico–Rug Weaving
This afternoon Federico Chavez Sosa completed this extraordinary handwoven 100% wool rug created with natural dyes and cut it from his loom. It is a complex design that requires special skill to execute the curves and circles to perfection. The piece measures 32″ x 57″ and is $500 USD. Dyes are from the cochineal bug, […]
Baptismo, Mercado, Massaje: Just Another Day in Teotitlan
The sound of familiar music drew me to the doors of the village church and another celebration. [My guess is that village life is a mutual support society. Families support each other by providing and paying for the services needed to sustain the constant celebration of life. There is incredible joy for families, and economic […]
Diagramming the Altar of the Dead: Dia de los Muertos
Beginning in pre-Columbian times in the Zapotec culture, the dead are remembered through ofrendas (offerings). Each year the souls of the dead return to earth to partake with the living the foods they enjoyed when they were alive. The ofrenda rests on an altar dedicated to the dead relatives who are only able to return […]