Tag Archives: Xochistlahuaca

Weavers From the Prairie of Flowers: Oaxaca Coast Textile Tour

About three years ago, before our last visit to the Oaxaca coast in 2020 and long before Covid hit us, the famous Amuzgo weaving cooperative Flor de Xochistlahuaca located across the Oaxaca border in Guerrero state separated into two groups. We heard there were differences in mission and objectives. Some founders of the original group wanted to function more as a mutual support organization to help one another, and do more than weave and sell. From this separation was born Flores de la Llanura Tejadores or Weavers from the Prairie of Flowers.

They are from Xochistlahuaca, Zacoalpan and Plan de Muertos (village name). Some work in natural dyes. They pick, card, beat, and make fine thread from indigenous cotton using the malacate drop spindle. They weave huipiles and rebozos on back strap looms. Their signature design is a garden of flowers executed in precise mathematical patterns seared into historic memory. In Zacoalpan, some of the women grow native organic cotton — coyuchi brown, pale green and creamy white — on small plots that they tend themselves or with their husbands and children.

The cooperative is committed to education and takes great pride in teaching young women and men the art of weaving on the back strap loom. Five boys are now learning to weave, but it still remains the work of girls and women.

They are also committed to social justice. We are told women here (and know that throughout Mexico) live with violence, especially in remote indigenous villages. In many Amuzgo villages, violence is normalized. Women accept and do not complain. More and more now, people are speaking up and speaking out.

Three years ago, a young adult daughter of cooperative member Silvia was a victim of femicide. A mother of three young children, her husband took her life. Her family and her community wanted justice. Over two years, they did the legal work to land the killer a 40-year prison term. They want to take a stand to tell women to speak up and say it’s not okay to be violated.

A documentary video tells the story in a very sensitive way. This is the trailer.

Flores de la llanura / Trailer-Esp from Urdimbre Audiovisual on Vimeo.

We gather together, Amuzgo women and visitors to discuss identity, values, traditions and weaving techniques. Then, we have a delicious lunch of home cooked pozole especially prepared for us at a local comedor around the corner. 

Then, we return to look at all the beautiful clothing hung from lines tied to tree trunks. There’s a special table set up under the trees where a fundraiser for Silvia’s grandchildren is underway. We make a beeline to support this effort. 

Their work honors cultural, ancestral traditions. They hold the stories of their mothers, grandmothers and antipasados (ancestors) close to them through the creation of magnificent cloth. They learned to weave in order to clothe themselves. They call baby clothes Mother Cotton and give handwoven gifts of clothing when there is a birth. The story goes that grandmothers are making thread to tie off the umbilical cord. Cotton, they say, has been here since the creation of the world. They value their culture and their job is to maintain the traditions. Yecenia, a cooperative leader, tells us that the Spanish tried to kill the culture, so much of the spiritual significance  of the symbols woven into the cloth are lost.

We will visit Las Flores de la Llanura in 2023. We are taking registrations now for 2023 Oaxaca Coast Textile Tour. We limit our travelers to 10 people. Please tell us when you are ready to register and make a deposit to participate. We sell out so make your decision as soon as you are able. All travelers on our 2022 tour tested covid negative before returning to the USA and Canada!

Yecenia welcomes us in her native Amuzgo language, one of 16 indigenous languages in Oaxaca state

Its a blessing to be here to support this group.

We all made a purchase. Few foreigners come here and finding places to sell is difficult. A tour group that came two weeks before us bought nothing and the women of Flores de la Llanura were very disappointed.

see the video here

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 your browser to update what’s sold.

SOLD. #1, Violeta. 21×26. $145

I am trying to help out cooperatives I know during these Covid times when there are no tourists and little opportunity for women to sell their beautiful work. We visited this cooperative on our Oaxaca Coast Textile Tour.

Today, there are 18 garments total. Some use locally grown native cotton: green (verde), white (blanco) and coyuchi (honey colored) grown on small plots that are farmed by both women and men. Even as we are approaching winter, these make beautiful, colorful tops to layer over a long-sleeve silk T-shirt to wear with leggings, pants, jeans or a skirt.

To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.

SOLD. #2, Eutimia. 26×30. Gauze Huipil. $220

#2 is a finely woven gauze huipil, shorter than the full-length version and perfect to wear over a skirt or slacks.

Return Policy: We support artisans and funds get transferred immediately. There are no returns or refunds. This is a final sale.

About Tejadoras de Llanura de las Flores, from Yesi Lopez de Jesus

“We are a group of women from the municipality of Xochistlahuaca, the original community where the Amusgos people live. We decided to work in a group that we named the Cooperativa Llanura de las Flores — Plain of Flowers — which is the meaning of the name of our Suljaa people in our indigenous language. This is what Xochistlahuaca means in the Amusgo language: Plain of Flowers.

SOLD. #3, Maximinia, 29×29. Native Cotton: Green, Coyuchi + White. $265

#3 combines all three native cotton colors and is woven in the traditional Guerrero Amusgo style — three densely woven designs on the bodice (compared with the Oaxaca version that incorporates two woven designs).

SOLD. #4 Cooperativa. Native Coyuchi + White Cotton, 35-1/2×52, $750

#4 is a full-length huipil, rare for it’s beauty and for its exclusive use of coyuchi cotton yarn, that is hand-beaten to soften it, then hand-spun on the malacate (drop spindle), before it is woven on the back-strap loom. This is an unusual pattern that I have never seen before. Definitely a collector’s piece.

SOLD. #5, Adela Santiago Evangelista. 22-1/2×28. $120

To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.

#6 Cooperativa, Native Green, Coyuchi + White Cotton Huipil, 30×46, $750

#6 is another collector’s piece that is an extraordinary combination of all three native cottons, all locally grown and hand-spun.

SOLD. #7 Divina de Jesus. 29×42. Rare White-on-White Huipil. $295

#7 is a fine gauze woven white-on-white huipil that is unusual in that it is now very difficult to find a garment of this quality in the colorway.

To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.

#7 Detail, White on White Gauze Huipil
SOLD. #8, Margarita. 22×29. $85
#9, Marcela. 31×43. Coyuchi, wild native cotton. $485

Return Policy: We support artisans and funds get transferred immediately. There are no returns or refunds. This is a final sale.

#10, Cooperative. 31×50. Gala Huipil. $675

#10 is a traditional special occasion huipil used in the village for festival days. The randa (needlework joinery) is complex and detailed, making this a very special piece.

#10 Detail. Intricate embroidery
SOLD. #11, Maximinia. 17-1/2×23. Natural Dyes. $75
SOLD. #12, Margarita. 23×28. $120
SOLD. #13, Eutimia Salinas Lopez. 20-1/2×26-1/2, $85

To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.

Return Policy: We support artisans and funds get transferred immediately. There are no returns or refunds. This is a final sale. Please take your measurements carefully.

SOLD. #14, Maximina. 31×45. Natural Dyes: Zapote Negro, Native White Cotton. $485
SOLD. #15, Divinia de Jesus. 23×28. $120
SOLD. #17, Margarita. 23×26. $145

Textile Care: Dry clean or wash by hand. To wash, turn garment inside out. Immerse in cold water using a mild soap such as Fels Naptha or baby shampoo. Don’t use Woolite — it leeches color. Gently massage the cloth. Squeeze and roll in a towel to absorb excess water. Hang to dry. Use medium heat to iron if needed.

SOLD. #18, Eutimia. Scarf, 16wx76L, $145
#18 Detail

To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.

Return Policy: We support artisans and funds get transferred immediately. There are no returns or refunds. This is a final sale.

About Tejadoras de Llanura de las Flores, from Yesi Lopez de Jesus

“We are a group of 25 women from the municipality of Xochistlahuaca, the original community where the Amusgos people live. We decided to work in a group that we named the Cooperativa Llanura de las Flores — Plain of Flowers — which is the meaning of the name of our Suljaa people in our indigenous language. This is what Xochistlahuaca means in Amusgo: Plain of Flowers.

“We learned to weave and spin thread from our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters. Weaving is learned and transmitted from generation to generation. Now, we understand that with threads we create art. In each textile that we make, there is a piece of us, our time, our knowledge, patience, love and part of our life.

“It is necessary to work in a cooperative to help each other out as women, to contribute to the economic well-being of our household, to feed, educate and provide healthcare for our children and our families.

“The textile, the huipil, everything we create with the threads and our imagination, is not only a piece for sale or simple merchandise. Our creations are living pieces in which we capture part of our daily life. We weave the iconography of our Plain of Flowers.

“This is why we think that as a cooperative we can continue working and sharing with the younger generations so that this ancient knowledge is never lost.

“We continue to weave, fighting for life, defending and preserving the loom and native cotton.”

When you purchase one (or more) of these beautiful textiles, you are bringing the heart and soul of the weaver and her family closer to you. Not only do you add beauty to your own life, you are supporting the history of back-strap loom weaving in Mexico and giving women an opportunity to earn a fair wage from their work. You provide sustenance and continuity. You provide hope and courage. You provide value and meaning.

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. While on the road, I was in touch with Yecenia (Yesi) Lopez after contacting her earlier about selecting some of her Tejadoras de Llanura de las Flores Cooperative’s beautiful textiles for us to see and purchase. I made the order from South Bend and when I returned to Durham yesterday, the box was there waiting for me at the front door.

Sale Starts: Saturday, October 3, 2020, 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Preview of Xochistlahuaca textiles

About Amusgos Textiles

There are 17 garments total. Some are natural dyes. Some are native green, white and coyuchi (honey colored) cotton grown in the village on small farm plots. There is one scarf. Most are blusas and there are a few long huipiles. Even as we are approaching winter, these make beautiful, colorful tops to layer over a long-sleeve silk T-shirt to wear with leggings, pants, jeans or a skirt.

The Amusgo people are an indigenous group with their own distinct language who live north and south along the Oaxaca-Guerrero border. The closest town to Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero is Ometepec. It is more than five hours north of Puerto Escondido and is considered part of the Costa Chica region that extends to just south of Acapulco.

This is a traditional gala Xochistlahuaca huipil
Maximina picks native green cotton from her fields

About Tejadoras de Llanura de las Flores, from Yesi Lopez de Jesus

“We are a group of women from the municipality of Xochistlahuaca, the original community where the Amusgos people live. We decided to work in a group that we named the Cooperativa Llanura de las Flores — Plain of Flowers — which is the meaning of the name of our Suljaa people in our indigenous language. This is what Xochistlahuaca means in Amusgo: Plain of Flowers.

“We learned to weave and spin thread from our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and sisters. Weaving is learned and transmitted from generation to generation. Now, we understand that with threads we create art. In each textile that we make, there is a piece of us, our time, our knowledge, patience, love and part of our life.

“It is necessary to work in a cooperative to help each other out as women, to contribute to the economic well-being of our household, to feed, educate and provide healthcare for our children and our families.

“The textile, the huipil, everything we create with the threads and our imagination, is not only a piece for sale or simple merchandise. Our creations are living pieces in which we capture part of our daily life. We weave the iconography of our Plain of Flowers.

“This is why we think that as a cooperative we can continue working and sharing with the younger generations so that this ancient knowledge is never lost.

“We are 25 women who continue to weave, fighting for life, defending the loom and native cotton.”

When you purchase one (or more) of these beautiful textiles, you are bringing the heart and soul of the weaver and her family into your home and heart. Not only do you add beauty to your own life, you are supporting the history of back-strap loom weaving in Mexico and giving women an opportunity to earn a fair wage from their work. You provide sustenance and continuity. You provide hope and courage. You provide value and meaning.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 3 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time for our shop to open here at https://oaxacaculture.com