Twenty to thirty thousand years ago, early humans developed the first
string by twisting together handfuls of plant fibers. Preparing thin
bundles of plant material and stretching them out while twisting them
together produced a fine string or thread. The ability to produce
string and thread was the starting place for the development of
spinning, weaving, and sewing. All three of those indigenous textile
making traditions are still strong in today’s Mexico.
Today we’ll take a look at the
weaving of the Huicholes in the states of Jalisco and Nayarit and the
Zapotec in Oaxaca.
The fundamental aspects of hand weaving have remained unchanged
for millennia. Webster defines a loom as "a frame or machine for
interweaving yarn or threads into a fabric, the operation being
performed by laying lengthwise a series called the warp and weaving in
across this other threads called the weft, woof, or filling." Another
definition, quite to the point, states: "A loom is the framework across
which threads are stretched for the weaving of cloth."
When the backstrap loom was developed, it was easy to transport and
simple to construct. One end of the loom was attached to a fixed point,
like a tree trunk, and the other was a rod, which was held in place
with a cord that passed around the waist of the weaver. By leaning back
against the waist cord, the weaver could put tension on the warp
threads and adjust tautness at will. The backstrap loom is still used
today by Native Americans in the southwestern part of the United States
and by people in Central America and Mexico. The complexity of the work
that can be created on this loom is limited only by the skill of the
weaver, and the entire loom with the weaving in progress can be rolled
up at any time and carried from place to place.
In the culture of Mesoamerica (the region extending south and
east from central Mexico to include parts of Guatemala, Belize,
Honduras, and Nicaragua), clothing fabrics were quite diverse. In arid
locations, plants such as yucca, agave cactus, and palm fibers were
used for weaving. Where the climate permitted, cotton was the chosen
fiber. Cotton was grown in Mexico as early as 3000 B.C. Although cotton
did not grow in the region of the Aztec empire, the Aztecs obtained
cotton from the peoples they conquered. At that time, only certain
social classes were allowed to wear cotton clothing. Rabbit fur and
feathers from exotic birds decorated luxurious clothing, while bark
paper clothing was used for some ceremonial vestments. The clothing of
lower social classes was made of much rougher fibers.
In the entire Mesoamerican region, women worked using a
backstrap loom, and then sometimes embroidered fabrics and applied
shells, precious stones, and silver and gold ornaments to the fabrics
they wove. In the south of Mexico, women made weavings using ornamental
stitches or, among the Mayans, decorated with thin braided ropes. In
the northern parts of Mesoamerica, floor looms were used.
Fabrics woven in these ways were of the highest importance in early
Mexican life. At times, fabrics were used as money. Each culture of
Mesoamerica had deities who watched over those women who spun thread,
those who wove, and those who embroidered. At birth, a baby girl was
symbolically initiated into the work of weaving, and upon her death, a
woman was buried with the textile tools that she had used all through
her life. Textile making was considered to be much more than a
technique. It was a sacred gift bestowed on women by the gods.
Conquest by the Spanish and the continuing presence of the conquistadores
changed the panorama of textiles in Mexico. During the time of
colonization, new techniques of weaving, materials, designs and forms
of dress arrived in the New World. Silks, wools, and the pedal loom
needed to weave them were introduced. In addition, the Spanish brought
a strong textile influence from Asia and Egypt.
The richness, variety and liveliness of Mexican weaving are in
large part derived from the fusion of these influences. Traditional
Mexican indigenous clothing represents the union of the people, proud
of their geographic and cultural origins.
The indigenous people we meet most often in Guadalajara are the
Huichol. They use art, including weaving, for much more than
decoration or economic gain. In the February-March 2005 New Life Journal,
author Lisa Lichtig writes, "For women, the loom is the violin. Woven
bags come in various sizes and colors and are used for carrying
everything from food to sacred offerings. Each, however, is made with
special woven designs that are signatures from the heart and the dreams
of the weaver.
"In the process of learning to weave, the apprentice makes miniature
weavings as offerings to the gods. When a girl leaves her offering, she
may take one of the offerings left for that same god by another girl or
woman. She takes the borrowed offering home and copies the design, and
then returns the borrowed piece and leaves another one that she herself
has made. This practice has been a means by which designs were
distributed among Huichol women."
When the Spanish came to the New World, they brought sheep,
previously unknown to the indigenous peoples of Mexico. The Huichol
quickly learned to shear, card, spin, and weave wool. They used native
vegetable and mineral dyes to create the vibrant colors so crucial to
their designs. Today, as the Huichol herd fewer and fewer sheep,
acrylics have largely replaced wool in Huichol work. Very few weavers
still know how to make and use the old dyes.
The indigenous Zapotec are native to the state of Oaxaca, far to the
south of Mexico. Many Zapotec are extraordinary rug weavers. The most
famous Zapotec rug weaving center is Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, a
remote mountain village that has become well known everywhere in the
world due to the traditional fine weaving done there. Despite the
ten-hour drive to Teotitlán del Valle from Mexico City, the world shows
up on the doorsteps of the Zapotec weavers. Rugs from the village are
sold all over Mexico as well as in the United States and other
countries.
Before the arrival of the Spanish and their sheep, the
Zapotecos had been cultivating and weaving cotton for several thousand
years. Like the Huicholes, the Zapotecos quickly learned to card, spin,
dye, and weave wool. They have used traditional vegetable and mineral
dyes for centuries, although aniline (artificial) dyes came into use
about 30 years ago.
The secrets of the natural dyes are jealously guarded. They are
extracted from a range of plant mineral and insect sources: indigo blue
from the jiquilete plant, green from malachite copper,
and the rich red hues of the red from the world famous cochineal beetle on the nopal
cactus. Dyes are hand-ground and hand mixed. Many weavers have begun
using artificial dyes due to the difficulty and expense of creating
dyes with flowers, herbs, insects, and other natural materials.
Buyer’s Note: Ask your rug dealer which dyes his weavers use.
Discerning buyers or collectors insist on natural dyes. Be aware that
if a dealer claims to use only natural dyes and the price of a rug you
like seems too good to be true, his claim is probably not true.
The Zapotec weavers of Teotitlán wove on traditional backstrap looms
until the Dominican missionaries introduced harness looms in the 16th
Century. Today, some Zapotec weavers like to create modern carpet
designs based on the art of Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, or Max Escher.
Others disagree. One weaver said, "Those are beautiful designs, but
those designs are created by painters. I am a weaver, and my rugs are
the traditional designs of my people."
We’re privileged to have fine Zapotec rugs available in Guadalajara every day of the week. All of the rugs are made in
Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca. These wool rugs, if properly cared for,
will last a lifetime whether you use them on your floors or hang them
on your walls.
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