Tag Archives: textiles

2024 Bucket List Tour: Monarch Butterflies + Michoacan Folk Art

Come with us to Mexico, February 1-11, 2024, 10-nights, 11-days

Back by popular demand! I never knew that visiting the Monarch butterflies in Mexico should have been on my bucket list until I got there. Tucked into the mountainous forests of Michoacan and Estado de Mexico is the terminus of the butterfly migration from North America where the noble Monarchs winter and reproduce. The experience is mystical, magical, life-affirming, and memorable. I’ve always felt that being here is one of those moments that inspire and validate our existence on the planet and gives us pause to appreciate the constant cycle of nature at its most magnificent.

We did not anticipate offering this tour again until 2025, but we were cajoled into organizing it sooner so you wouldn’t have to wait so long! Now, we have only a few spaces open!

But this is not all! After this first part of our tour, we travel to the magical craft and folk-art towns of Michoacan:  Patzcuaro and the indigenous Purepecha towns surrounding Lake Patzcuaro, plus Ahuiran, Santa Clara del Cobre, and Paracho. We meet with famous artisans and those off-the-beaten path whose work is recognized as Grand Masters of Mexican Folk Art by Fundacion Banamex. We meet weavers, potters, embroiderers, mask-makers, coppersmiths. We explore in safety and security, led by a local guide whom we know very well. We NEVER take you into any locations that are dangerous or threatening.

This tour is limited to 14 travelers. We have five single rooms and 4 shared rooms available.

We start in Mexico City to learn about history of Mexico through a walking tour focusing on the Mexican Muralism Movement with an art historian. Our journey continues to Michoacán where we do the outdoor expedition to visit the sanctuary of the Monarch butterfly. We end this tour in Patzcuaro, a colonial city awarded with the recognition of Pueblo Magico. Here we spend some days to learn about the strategic location next to the lake and the different oficios (artisan wares) in some of the towns around the lake, such as, copper, wood, ceramics and textiles.

Thursday, February 1: Arrive in Mexico City. Gather for NO-HOST dinner. Meals included: none. Overnight in Mexico City.

Friday, February 2: Breakfast, welcome and orientation. Morning art history walking tour featuring the Mexican Muralism Movement – Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros. Welcome lunch at one of the best downtown restaurants. Afternoon discussion about Michoacan textiles with noted cultural anthropologist. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch. Overnight in Mexico City.

Saturday, February 3: After breakfast, depart to butterfly sanctuary with stop at Zirahuato archeological site. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch. Overnight in Zitacuaro.

Sunday, February 4: Visit El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch. Overnight in Zitacuaro.

Monday, February 5: Visit a second butterfly sanctuary. You may choose to ride a horse if you like. In the afternoon, we depart for Patzcuaro and check in to our cozy hotel. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch. Overnight in Patzcuaro.

Tuesday, February 6: After breakfast, we will participate in a hands-on cooking class. You will eat what you prepare for lunch. Afternoon Patzcuaro Walking Tour, visit galleries and museums. Meals included: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overnight in Patzcuaro.

Wednesday, February 7: After breakfast, we travel to Santa Clara del Cobre where artisans make hand-hammered copper pieces. Then on to Cuanajo where we will meet a family of weavers who work on back strap loom the technique of warp faced weaving. Then we make a stop in Tupataro where we learn more about the history of the Patzcuaro and visit some of the most amazing frescos on the ceiling of this small, historical church. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch. Overnight Patzcuaro.

Thursday, February 8: This is a long day around Lake Patzcuaro to artisan villages. Our first stop is in Tucuaro we visit a master woodcarver who makes the carnival mask for the celebrations of Lent and Easter. In Santa Fe la Laguna, we will learn about the lake and its importance to the surrounding towns including Patzuaro.

Then we visit Tzintzuntzan, where we learn about the fine satin stitch embroidery made by a collective of women who specialize in embroidering the village traditions in scenes depicted on multi-colored fabric. Then we learn about the chuspata fiber used to weave utilitarian pieces such as rugs, mats and even living rooms! In town, we visit a family of potters that specializes in high temperature ceramic pieces. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch. Overnight in Patzcuaro.

Friday, February 9: Our first stop is in Ahuiran, here we meet a family of shawl weavers made with cotton and rayon threads that are woven on backstrap looms. These shawls have amazing, knotted fringes and the weavers use feathers woven into the cloth to decorate them. Next, we travel to Paracho where learn about the tradition of handmade guitars. This town inspired the guitar for Coco (Disney Pixar 2017 movie). Our last stop is in Aranza to visit with a family that we think may weave the finest clothes in Mexico. They work with one ply 100% cotton to make blouses and shawls with a special technique on a backstrap loom that we can only describe as being like lace. But the cloth is woven by hand picking and twisting the warp threads to create this effect. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

Saturday, February 10: Leisurely day on your own after breakfast to meander Patzcuaro streets, pack, do any last-minute shopping. We then meet for a Grand Finale Dinner to celebrate our time together and memories made.  Meals included: Breakfast and dinner. Overnight in Patzcuaro.

Sunday-February 11: Departure. We will assist in scheduling shared van transportation from Patzcuaro to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City at your own expense. The hotel can also help you make taxi arrangements if you plan to go on to visit other Mexican towns.

Note: Schedule is preliminary and is subject to change throughout our tour, depending on artisan availability, etc.

What Is Included

  • 9 nights lodging at top-rated hotels
  • 9 breakfasts
  • 7 lunches
  • Grand Finale Gala Dinner
  • Museum and entry fees
  • Optional Cooking Class
  • Luxury van transportation
  • Complete guide and translation services

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 instructors and alter the program as needed.

Cost • $3,795 double room with private bath (sleeps 2) • $4,595 single room with private bath (sleeps 1)

[  ] Yes, I want to take the optional cooking class at $165 per person additional

Reservations and Cancellations.  A $500 non-refundable deposit is required 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 October 1, 2023. The third 50% payment of the balance is due on or before December 1, 2023. We accept payment using online e-commerce only. We will send you an itemized invoice when you tell us you are ready to register. After December 1, 2023, there are no refunds. If you cancel on or before December 1, 2023, 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: All travelers must provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19 to travel with us. You must also wear CDC-approved face masks, use hand-sanitizer, and maintain all public health precautions.

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

To Register, Policies, Procedures & Cancellations–Please Read

Terrain, Walking and Group Courtesy: The butterfly sanctuary is at 10,000 feet altitude. To get there, one must ascend a steep pathway or ride a horse to the destination. Generally, the altitude is 5,000 to 7,000 feet in the various locations we will visit. Streets and sidewalks in colonial towns are cobblestones, and narrow. We will do a lot of walking. We will walk a lot — up to 10,000 steps per day at a moderate pace. We recommend you bring a walking stick and wear sturdy shoes.

NOTE: If you have mobility issues or health/breathing impediments, please consider that this may not be the program for you.

Traveling with a small group has its advantages, and also means that independent travelers will need to make accommodations to group needs and schedule. We include plenty of free time to go off on your own if you wish.

ORIGINAL! Mexico City Textile / Fashion Extravaganza, November 2023

We are now taking registration to attend Original 2023, Our artisan friends on the committee confirm that the event will happen this fall. While they tell us the dates aren’t yet set in stone, we anticipate the three-day weekend fashion event will be held November 17-19, 2023. We will likely plan this for travelers to arrive Wednesday, November 15 and depart on Monday, November 20. This will get you home in time for Thanksgiving! 

We are limiting this textile immersion experience to 10 savvy travelers who are interested in the Mexico’s indigenous textile design, and the merging of traditional clothing with contemporary, innovative fashion. This is the top national textile event in Mexico and encompasses the work of over 400 textile artists from throughout the country. 

Original was developed by Mexico’s Ministry of Culture as a way to take the offensive against the international fashion industry that is appropriating the cultural patrimony of Mexico’s indigenous weaving communities. The term cultural appropriation describes the process of copycat fashion for economic gain by international clothing designers. We have heard too often of designers coming to Mexico, copying a village’s ancient designs, then producing these garments with exact replicas of the weaving or embroidery patterns, putting them on the runway, and marketing them as their original pieces without offering attribution or compensation to the communities that attach their indigenous identities to this clothing. The event term, Original, references the true origins of Mexico’s indigenous designs.

Put in words of the Ministry of Culture:

Original is a permanent cultural movement, generated from the Mexican Government, dedicated to raise awareness for the value of the artisanal work and the rights of collective ownership; it aims to build a new ethic in the relationship of the artisans and their communities with the national and international design industry. Each year, Original brings together textile artisan women and men from the the creative towns and communities in al Mexico to showcase their work.”

Our long weekend together will include lodging, four breakfasts, a welcome dinner, talks, presentations, dinners with cultural anthropologists and top artisans invited to participate in Original. The weekend will also include guide and translation services, visits to Franz Mayer and folk art museums, transportation, and expert educational experiences to go deeper into the language of cloth. 

What: A five-day textile experience in Mexico City

When: November 15-20, 2023 (tentative dates)

Cost: $2,395 per person shared room; $3,195 single room. A $500 non-refundable deposit will secure your reservation. If, when confirmed, the dates turn out to be different and you are unable to attend, we will offer you a full, 100% refund of any monies you have deposited. 

To register, please send an email to Norma Schafer.

Reservations and Cancellations.  A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to guarantee your spot. We anticipate the event dates will be finalized and announced by July 1, 2023. The balance is due in two equal payments. The second payment of  50% of the balance is due on or before July 1, 2022. The third 50% payment of the balance is due on or before September 15, 2022. We accept payment using online e-commerce only. We will send you an itemized invoice when you tell us you are ready to register. After September 15, 2022, there are no refunds. If you cancel on or before September 1, we will refund 50% of your deposit received to date less the $500 non-refundable reservation deposit. After that, there are no refunds.

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: All travelers must provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19 to travel with us. You must also wear CDC-approved face masks, use hand-sanitizer, and maintain all public health precautions.

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

To Register, Policies, Procedures & Cancellations–Please Read

2024 Chiapas Textile Study Tour: Deep into the Maya World

At Oaxaca Cultural Navigator, we aim to give you an unparalleled and in-depth travel experience to participate and delve deeply into indigenous culture, folk art and celebrations. The Maya World of Chiapas, Mexico, spans centuries and borders. Maya people weave their complex universe into beautiful cloth. Symbols are part of an ancient pre-Hispanic animist belief system. In the cloth we see frogs that signal coming rain, the plumed serpent — guardian of life, woman and man and family, earth and sky, the four cardinal points, moon and sun and stars, birds, flowers, symbols of the natural environment. Each weaver chooses her themes based on what is important to her.

We go deep into the Maya world of southern Mexico, from February 20 to February 28, 2024. While we focus on textiles, we also explore what it means to be indigenous, part of a cooperative, live in a remote village, have agency and access to economic opportunity, and understand the role of women in traditional life. We meet creative, innovative and talented people who open their doors and welcome us.

8 nights, 9 days in and around the San Cristobal de Las Casas highlands.

Cost • $3,395 double room with private bath (sleeps 2) • $4,285 single room with private bath (sleeps 1) A $500 non-refundable deposit will reserve your space. Contact: Norma Schafer to register.

What is a Study Tour: Our programs are designed as learning experiences, and as such we talk with weavers about how and why they create, what is meaningful to them in their designs, 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. Our interest is in creating connection and artisan economic development.

We are based in the historic Chiapas mountain town of San Cristobal de las Casas, the center of the Maya world in Mexico. Here we will explore the textile traditions of ancient people who weave on back strap looms. Women made cloth on simple looms here long before the Spanish conquest in 1521 and their techniques translate into stunning garments admired and collected throughout the world today. Colorful. Vibrant. Warm. Exotic. Connecting. Words that hardly describe the experience that awaits you.

We are committed to giving you a rich cultural immersion experience that goes deep rather than broad. We cover a lot of territory. That is why we are spending eight nights in this amazing Pueblo Magico — Magic Town — to focus on Maya textiles, weaving and embroidery traditions.

Our cultural journey takes us into villages, homes and workshops to meet the people who keep their traditions vibrant. We explore museums, churches, and ancient cemeteries. This is an interpersonal experience to better know and appreciate Mexico’s amazing artisans.

Your Study Tour Leader is Eric Chavez Santiago. Norma Schafer, Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC founder, may also accompany the group.  

Eric Chavez Santiago is a weaver and natural dye expert. He is a Oaxaca native, born and raised in Teotitlan del Valle, and speaks Zapotec, Spanish and English.  Eric was the founding director of education at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca from 2008 to 2016. In 2017, Alfredo Harp Helu and Isabel Granen Porrua asked him to open, manage and promote indigenous craft through their folk art gallery Andares del Arte Popular. He resigned in September this year to grow the family enterprise, Taller Teñido a Mano, and to join Norma as a partner in Oaxaca Cultural Navigator. Eric is a graduate of Anahuac University and has made textile presentations throughout the world. He is very knowledgeable about Chiapas textiles and techniques.

Norma Schafer is a retired university administrator and founder of Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC. She has lived with the Chavez Santiago family in Teotitlan del Valle since 2005, and also lives in Taos, New Mexico. In 2006, Norma started offering textile weaving and natural dyeing workshops, and cultural and textile study tours, concentrating on Oaxaca and Chiapas. She is a contributor to the textile guidebook, Textile Fiestas of Mexico, has been featured in The New York Times, and has published articles in the international Selvedge Magazine and literary magazines. She writes the blog Oaxaca Cultural Navigator about life and art in Oaxaca and other parts of Mexico.

We engage one of San Cristobal’s best bilingual cultural guides who has worked with weavers and artisans in the region. Gabriela is a native Chiapaneca who knows the region. You will enjoy learning from her. She is our compass to discern meaning.

Take this study tour to learn about:

  • culture, history and identity of cloth
  • cultural appropriation or cultural appreciation
  • wool spinning and weaving
  • clothing design and construction
  • embroidery and supplementary (pick-up) weft
  • Maya textile designs — iconography and significance
  • village and individual identity through clothing
  • social justice, opportunities and women’s issues
  • market days and mercantile economy
  • local cuisine, coffee, cacao and chocolate
  • quality and value
  • We will travel in a comfortable van as we go deep into the Maya world.
  • We visit 6 Maya weaving villages
  • We enjoy home-cooked meals
  • We meet makers and directly support them
  • We go far and away, off-the-beaten path
  • We decode the weaving designs unique to each woman and village
  • We explore three towns on their market days
  • We understand the sacred, mysterious rituals of Maya beliefs

Villages we visit: Tenejapa, San Lorenzo Zinacantan, San Juan Chamula, San Andres Larrainzar, Magdalena Aldama, Chenalho

Special Hands-On Experience: we are organizing a hands-on embroidery workshop at Casa Textil with owner Ben and our favorite Aguacatenango embroidery artisan Francisca. We will teach you decorative stitches and French knots to embellish a small zipper bag to take with you. Workshop fee included in tour cost.

Who Should Attend  Anyone who loves cloth, culture, and collaboration • Textile and fashion designers • Weavers, embroiderers and collectors • Photographers and artists who want inspiration • Retailers and wholesalers

Daily Itinerary

Tuesday, February 20: Travel day. Arrive and meet at our hotel in San Cristobal de las Casas. You will receive directions to get from the Tuxtla Gutierrez airport to our hotel. The airport is a clean and modern facility with straightforward signage. You will book your flight to Tuxtla from Mexico City on either Interjet, AeroMar, Volaris or Aeromexico. To find best routes and rates, search Skyscanner.com Then book directly with the carrier. There are plenty of taxis and shuttle services to take you from Tuxtla to San Cris. Your cost of transportation to/from San Cristobal is on your own. Taxis are about $60 USD or 1,000 pesos. Shared shuttle is about 200 pesos or about $13 USD. Meals included: None.

Wednesday, February 21: On our first day in San Cristobal de las Casas, we orient you to the textiles of the Maya World. You will learn about weaving and embroidery traditions, patterns and symbols, women and villages, history and culture. After breakfast, we will visit Centro Textiles Mundo Maya museum, Sna Jolobil Museum Shop for fine regional textiles, compare and contrast quality at the vast Santo Domingo outdoor market. At Casa Textil we hear about an artisan development project that encompasses several villages. We finish the morning together with a Group Welcome Lunch. In early evening, we meet with Sergio Castro, famed humanitarian healer, whose vintage textile collection is an important basis for our orientation to understand the mix of Maya language groups and the location of their villages. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

Thursday, February 23: Tenejapa is about an hour and a world away from San Cristobal de Las Casas. Today is market day when villagers line the streets filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and household supplies. Peer into dimly lit doorways to find hidden textile treasures. We’ll meander the market to see what’s there. In years past, I’ve found some stunning shawls, huipils and bags. Keep your eyes open. Then, we will visit an outstanding textile cooperative and then the best pom pom maker in the region. After a box lunch, we go to the centuries- old Romerillo Maya cemetery, then continue on up another mountain to visit Maruch (Maria), a Chamula woman at her rural home. Surrounded by sheep and goats, Maruch will demonstrate back strap loom weaving and wool carding, and how she makes long-haired wool skirts, tunics and shawls. Perhaps there will be some treasures to consider. Return to San Cristobal de Las Casas in time for dinner on your own. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

Friday, February 24: Today, we make a study tour to the textile villages of San Andres Larrainzer and Magdalena Aldama. This is an ultimate cultural experience to immerse yourself into the weaving culture of two of the best weaving villages in the region. We visit four families of weavers in their humble homes. Their work includes blouses, dresses, bags, and home goods. One family is the last to work with ixtle, the agave fiber used to weave market bags that are often a deep coffee color gotten by hanging the bags over the smoky cooking fire. A small bag takes 42-hours to make. Several of the artisans we visit are recognized as Grand Masters of Mexican Folk Art by Fundacion Banamex. We will see how they weave and embroider beautiful, fine textiles, ones you cannot find in the city markets or shops. They will host a show and sale for us, and we will join them around the open hearth for a warming meal of free range chicken soup, house made tortillas, and of course, a sip of posh! Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

Saturday, February 25: We set out by foot to a nearby textile studio founded by Alberto Lopez Gomez, a Magdalena Aldama weaver and designer, who was invited to New York Fashion Week in 2020 and Sweden Design Week in 2022 We hear presentations about creativity, style, innovation, and how to incorporate tradition while breaking new ground. Then, After breakfast, we set out for Na Bolom, Jaguar House, the home of anthropologist Franz Blom and his photographer wife, Gertrude Duby Blom. The house is now a museum filled with pre-Hispanic folk art and jewelry. We walk the gardens and learn about Franz and Trudy’s work with the Lacandon tribe and their relationship with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Meals included: Breakfast and snack.

Sunday, February 26: This is a big day! First we go to San Lorenzo Zinacantan, where greenhouses cover the hillsides. Here, indigenous dress is embellished in exquisite floral designs, mimicking the flowers they grow. First we meander the open-air market, then visit the church, bedecked in fresh flowers. Next stop is magical, mystical San Juan Chamula where the once-Catholic church is given over to a pre-Hispanic pagan religious practice that involves chickens, eggs and coca-cola. You’ll find out why. We’ll roam Chamula’s abundant textile market, compare and contrast fabrics and designs. (B, L) Dinner on your own. Meals included: Breakfast and lunch.

Monday, February 27: About an hour-and-a-half from San Cristobal de las Casas is the farming and weaving village of Chenalho, situated deep into the mountains with stunning views. This is not a tourist destination! We have found a cooperative there started 41-years ago by cultural anthropologist Christine Eber when she did her PhD dissertation about the culture of weaving and women there. We hear the women’s stories, see demonstrations, and have an opportunity to support them by purchasing what they make if we wish. Then, we return to San Cristobal de las Casas for you to choose your own lunch spot and enjoy the rest of the day on your own. Meals included: Breakfast and snack.

Tuesday, February 28: This is expoventa day! We have invited one of the finest embroiderers of Aguacatenango blouses, an organic coffee grower/roaster, and a pottery artisan to show and sell their work. Afternoon is on your own to do last minute shopping and packing in preparation for your trip home. We end our study tour with a Regret’s Sale (just in case you have any) and a gala group goodbye dinner. (B, D)

Wednesday, March 1. Depart. You will arrange your own transportation from San Cristobal to the Tuxtla Gutierrez airport. The hotel guest services can help. It takes about 1-1/2 hours to get to Tuxtla, plus 1-2 hours for check-in. Connect from Tuxtla to Mexico City and then on to your home country.

What Is Included

  • 8 nights lodging at a top-rated San Cristobal de las Casas hotel within walking distance to the historic center and pedestrian streets
  • 8 breakfasts
  • 5 lunches
  • 1 Gala Grand Finale Dinner
  • Museum and church entry fees
  • Luxury van transportation
  • Outstanding and complete guide services

The workshop 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 instructors and alter the program as needed.

Cost • $3,395 double room with private bath (sleeps 2) • $4,285 single room with private bath (sleeps 1)

Reservations and Cancellations.  A $500 non-refundable deposit is required 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 October 1, 2023. The third 50% payment of the balance is due on or before December 1, 2023. We accept payment using online e-commerce only. We will send you an itemized invoice when you tell us you are ready to register. After December 1, 2023, there are no refunds. If you cancel on or before December 1, 2023, 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: All travelers must provide proof of vaccination for COVID-19 to travel with us. You must also wear CDC-approved face masks, use hand-sanitizer, and maintain all public health precautions.

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

To Register, Policies, Procedures & Cancellations–Please Read

Terrain, Walking and Group Courtesy: San Cristobal de las Casas is a hill-town in south central Chiapas, the Mexican state that borders Guatemala. The altitude is 7,000 feet. Streets and sidewalks are cobblestones, mostly narrow and have high curbs. Pavement stones are slippery, especially when walking across driveways that slant at steep angles across the sidewalk to the street. We will do a lot of walking. Being here is a walker’s delight because there are three flat streets devoted exclusively to walking. We walk a lot — up to 10,000 steps per day at a moderate pace. We recommend you bring a walking stick and wear sturdy shoes.

NOTE: If you have mobility issues or health/breathing impediments, please consider that this may not be the program for you.

Traveling with a small group has its advantages and also means that independent travelers will need to make accommodations to group needs and schedule. We include plenty of free time to go off on your own if you wish.

In Chiapas: The Language of Cloth

Clothing speaks to us. We are drawn to the texture of cloth, the cut, the fit, the drape, the patterns and what this might say to us. Here, in the Chiapas Highlands in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, and beyond into the surrounding pueblos where Maya women work on the back-strap loom, cloth has ceremonial and spiritual meaning. It tells a story of the natural world and the environment. Woven into the cloth or embroidered afterward, the symbols tell us about the Lord of the Earth who holds up the universe, serpents, sun, moon, earth, sky, the four cardinal points, fertility, rain, seasons of planting and harvest, mountains, seeds, and much more.

Cloth here is a visual presentation of all that is important in the universe. The ancient Maya marked time by the sun, moon, and stars. Corn in all its colorful varieties is in the cloth, too: red, yellow, black, purple, white, pink, cream. The diamond pattern is represented as the four cardinal points, a way to express the order of the universe and how humans fit into it. Sometimes a symbol represents orchids and bromeliads, a highlands rainforest vegetation prevalent in these parts. If a huipil is more elaborate and includes special designs, this signifies the social and community stature of the person wearing it.

If there are small stars woven into the huipil, the maker is telling us she is praying for rain. A large, two-headed serpent represents the connection to earth and sky. Often, human figures are woven into the last line of the fabric — telling us that the world is in the hands of the Lord of the Earth. We must steward what we have inherited.

We learn this during our visit with designer-weaver Alberto Lopez Gomez, who we have been visiting in Chiapas for four years. Alberto participates in NY Fashion Week and is a member of the Original planning team. Original is a Mexican government Minister of Culture program to support the indigenous designs of Mexico’s artisans. Over 1,000 artisans participate in November featuring ceramics, textiles, palm weaving, copper, mask making, and jewelry.

Alberto tells us that dreams are an important vehicle for Maya people to know the path they should take. Dreams are reflected in the textiles — what is included to represent and how they are appear in the cloth. In Magdalena Aldama, the patron saint is the Virgin of Magdalena. At age 19 Alberto asked the virgin for permission to learn how to weave, something unusual for men. He mastered the process in two months!

We will be offering a 2024 Chiapas Textile Study Tour. Come with us. Add your name to the interested list by sending us an email.

In Chiapas: The Language of Cloth

Clothing speaks to us. We are drawn to the texture of cloth, the cut, the fit, the drape, the patterns and what this might say to us. Here, in the Chiapas Highlands in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, and beyond into the surrounding pueblos where Maya women work on the back-strap loom, cloth has ceremonial and spiritual meaning. It tells a story of the natural world and the environment. Woven into the cloth or embroidered afterward, the symbols tell us about the Lord of the Earth who holds up the universe, serpents, sun, moon, earth, sky, the four cardinal points, fertility, rain, seasons of planting and harvest, mountains, seeds, and much more.

Cloth here is a visual presentation of all that is important in the universe. The ancient Maya marked time by the sun, moon, and stars. Corn in all its colorful varieties is in the cloth, too: red, yellow, black, purple, white, pink, cream. The diamond pattern is represented as the four cardinal points, a way to express the order of the universe and how humans fit into it. Sometimes a symbol represents orchids and bromeliads, a highlands rainforest vegetation prevalent in these parts. If a huipil is more elaborate and includes special designs, this signifies the social and community stature of the person wearing it.

If there are small stars woven into the huipil, the maker is telling us she is praying for rain. A large, two-headed serpent represents the connection to earth and sky. Often, human figures are woven into the last line of the fabric — telling us that the world is in the hands of the Lord of the Earth. We must steward what we have inherited.

We learn this during our visit with designer-weaver Alberto Lopez Gomez, who we have been visiting in Chiapas for four years. Alberto participates in NY Fashion Week and is a member of the Original planning team. Original is a Mexican government Minister of Culture program to support the indigenous designs of Mexico’s artisans. Over 1,000 artisans participate in November featuring ceramics, textiles, palm weaving, copper, mask making, and jewelry.

Alberto tells us that dreams are an important vehicle for Maya people to know the path they should take. Dreams are reflected in the textiles — what is included to represent and how they are appear in the cloth. In Magdalena Aldama, the patron saint is the Virgin of Magdalena. At age 19 Alberto asked the virgin for permission to learn how to weave, something unusual for men. He mastered the process in two months!

We will be offering a 2024 Chiapas Textile Study Tour. Come with us. Add your name to the interested list by sending us an email.