Preserving Tradition and Culture
Discover the sustainability of their craftsmanship through their three core processes: making yarn from high-quality wool, utilizing natural dyes, and weaving patterns that have been preserved in Zapotec art for thousands of years. Each process is rooted in tradition and culture, ensuring that the past is honored through the continuation of sustainable practices. Join them on a journey where sustainability meets creativity and tradition, and every piece tells a story.
01 Making the yarn
The first process takes an entire day of work. Every stage requires extensive, collaborative labor that is done in the space of the home. They begin by cleaning the wool.
After removing the dirt from the wool, they travel down to the river that they have worked with since they were young girls with all of their materials. Here, they vigorously rinse the wool in the water.
Once the wool has been properly washed, it is time to return home where the yarn dries before it goes through many two more stages of cleaning.
Finally, after many hours of ensuring that the materials are properly sanitized, the process of spinning the yarn begins. Once the yarn has been spun, it will be washed again. Throughout every step of the process, responsibilities are shared and delegated evenly based on everyone's capacities to work.
02 Dyeing the yarn
Using entirely natural dyes to pigment the yarn is a practice that preserves the ancestral ecological knowledge of those who have worked and experimented with the same plant material for thousands of years. It is also a sustainable alternative to the use of chemical and synthetic dyes that poison our environment and our bodies.
Every step of the process is done entirely by hand. Before the yarn is dyed, it is necessary to first collect plant material that can be burned as fuel to boil the water.
All chemicals are entirely avoided, and only natural materials are used for the dyes as well as for their mordants. This approach is more respectful to the land, to the community, and to future generations. It ensures that all of the products are entirely non-toxic and safe.
Discover Their Colors
Cochineal
Working with the nopal cactus to cultivate cochineal is a practice that has been continued for thousands of years, and it delivers vibrant shades of reds and purples. The entire process of cultivating this dye takes months to complete.
Indigo
The metate is a traditional grinding stone that is used to break down various natural materials that can be turned into dyes. It is used for both cochineal as well as indigo.
Pericón, marigold, zapote, and other plants are also experimented with to gain various shades and pigments. Over the years, these women have perfected their own recipes, but they also enjoy experimenting to explore new colors.
03 The Weaving Process
For the weaving process, foot looms are used in domestic spaces, and oftentimes whole families are working for the entire day on projects in each other's company. Depending on the size of the project that is being completed, the weaving process will take weeks to months to finish.
The designs that appear in these weavings can be seen in ancient Zapotec architectural ruins that date back almost 3,000 years. In this way, these textiles act to preserve the beliefs and values that are imbued into the meanings of these symbols. Every stitch must be pre-planned in a chart that is used to guide each individual stitch of the weaving process.
