Oaxacan weavers Lucio and Antonieta Ruiz will station a temporary workshop at the Ajijic plaza from Wednesday, April 16 through Sunday, April 20 to demonstrate the labor intensive handiwork involved in creating a traditional Zapotec tapete (rug).
The first technique they will show is carding, the process of converting bulk washed wool into continuous strands of fiber. The next step is turning the carded fiber into yarn, employing the Zapotec style wooden spinning wheel.
The finished yarn will then be colored in vibrant tones using dyes derived from leaves, flowers, bark, mosses, insects and other natural materials, following knowledge and practices handed down through generations.
The earthy colorants discovered by native ancestors are now more highly valued than the commercial chemical dyes developed in modern times. Most prized is the shade of carmine made from cochineal, a tiny parasitic insect that feeds on the nopal cactus.
Finally spools of yarn are fed into a pedal loom to weave an intricately patterned one-of-a-kind rug. Classic Zapotec rugs designs include diamond and fret motifs.
The town of Teotitlan del Valle in Oaxaca’s central valley is renowned as the heartland of the Zapotec weaving tradition. The art was developed more than 2,000 years ago, becoming more refined after Spanish settlers introduced sheep and European equipment.