It was Spring Break and we decided to drive to Oaxaca City with the kids. We hadn’t been there in over a decade, and I can’t imagine why it took us so long to go back! The sights, smells, flavors, and positive vibes were flowing over us in abundance.
On the first day, we went to Monte Albán, a residential and ceremonial site inhabited for over 1,500 years by the Olmec, Zapotec, and Mixtec peoples. It is next-level impressive!
Afterwards, we wandered around Oaxaca City and there I met a man named Orlando who weaves wool. He invited us to his workshop if we had time.
The next day, we all got up early for a dip in the pool and breakfast before heading out to the small town Orlando and his family call home. I had the address, but we could not find the workshop. I placed a call to Orlando, and he told me his daughter, Daniela, would come out and find us. We turned the car around and came upon their homestead which is also their showroom and workspace.
Daniela, her sister, and her mother kindly showed us how the wool is combed and dyed with natural ingredients, such as plants from their local environment, as well as indigo. The sound of a radio program in the Zapotec language hummed in the background, and the grandmother was preparing lunch for later.
Daniela explained the work that goes in to preparing the wool on the looms (each member of the family has their own) and how they go about weaving the rugs and bags. Daniela showed us an old notebook with design instructions on it that had been passed down from her grandparents and great-grandparents.
“We copy the designs and instructions when the paper in the notebook is getting too old so we don’t lose this knowledge,” she said.
Daniela told me she and her sister have been weaving on looms since they were seven years old. She explained that the weaver chooses his or her own colors and designs. It gave us a lot of insight into the effort, time, and individual style that goes into each piece of art. Each purse, for example, can take one week to complete. ONE WEEK OF WORK. That really hit me. This is one week of someone’s energy, creativity, time…not to mention his or her skills passed down over GENERATIONS.
That is why I honor their prices; I don’t haggle. When I see excellent quality, I smile and hand over money. I want these artisans to keep on creating.
This is heritage.
This is art.
Erin Nolan