Teotitlán del Valle is a small village and municipality located in the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region, 31 km from the city of Oaxaca in the foothills of the Sierra Juárez mountains. It is part of the Tlacolula Valley district.[1] It is known for its textiles, especially rugs, which are woven on hand-operated looms, from wool obtained from local sheep and dyed mainly with local, natural pigments. They are woven in traditional designs but modern designs such as reproductions of famous artists’ work and custom orders are available, as well as tours of family-owned workshops.[2][3] The name Teotitlán comes fromNahuatl and means “land of the gods”. Its Zapotec name is Xaguixe, which means “at the foot of the mountain”. It was one of the first villages founded by the Zapotecs in this area, in 1465,[1]and it still retains its Zapotec culture and language.[4]
Spending two and a half days in this indigenous village was soothing for my soul and enlightening for my mind. I was born a small town girl and I love that feeling that everyone in town is looking out for one another. I lose that a little when I am in the city for too long and needed to be reminded that in a small town you ALWAYS say hello when you pass someone on the street.
Here I have adopted two little brothers!
The tapete our host mom is currently working on. She has the pattern memorized. This one will take her about 2 months to make working 8 - 10 hrs a day!
Mary, Me, and Kari! Even in the village, getting your hair done is a part of life.
Marina with her cute do and fancy glasses!
Marlene and her hair extensions!
Now to some weaving work! This is how they card the wool; this disentangles, cleans, and prepares the wool to be spun.
This was our spinning class in Teotitlan.
Here are some of the things they use for dying the wool.
This is what they use for green.
They ferment the shells of nuts to create different shades of brown.
This is indigo made from local plants for different shades of blue.
These are cactus bugs...
and when they are ground up they look like this. This creates the different shades of red and orange.
This is red color when it is mixed only with water.
Here you can see the orange color when you add lime juice, purple when you add ash, and the original color.
What works of art!
Irene with her iced coffee and shade umbrella!
"I love how I do indigenous life." -Irene
The town cemetery.
Chess, a game that transcends language.
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