Hand-woven rug
Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca is known particularly for its colorful, hand-woven rugs. Teotitlán del Valle is located an easy 28 kilometers from Oaxaca City on Highway 190. The road passes through Santa María del Tule, home of the giant Tule (or Ahuehuete) tree, and continues eastward down the Tlacolula Valley through extensions of waving cornfields with the Oaxaca mountains in the distance.
 Near Teotitlan |
 Rug Market at Teotitlan del Valle |
 Teotitlan Church |
 Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca |
Teotitlan del Valle is most known for its beautiful, woven woolen rugs and naturally-dyed textiles, as well as elaborately decorated hand-made candles made of beeswax, shiny metallic paper and paper flowers.
In the town center lies the Church of the Precious Blood of Christ, shown here undergoing restoration of the bell towers. Erected on a site believed to be a ceremonial center of the Zapotecs, the Church structure rises from among the ancient, crumbling stones of the ruins.
Below the Church is a textiles market with numerous stands displaying rugs, serapes and rebozos (shawls). The town itself is riddled with artisan’s locales and houses where you can see them at work on their looms and purchase their wares.
In front of the market lies the Balaa Xtee Guech gulal Museum (meaning Shadow, or House, of the Ancient People) where, apart from exhibits of local customs and archaeological pieces, the process of rug making is demonstrated. The museum was formed as a community effort with the aim of creating a place where the richness of its culture could be preserved and disseminated. It was inaugurated in December of 1994 and opened its doors to the public in February of 1995.
Hand-woven, woolen Oaxacan rugs
Weaving was brought to Teotitlán by the Dominican friars during the evangelization of the area by the Spaniards in the early 1500′s. Bishop Juan López de Zárate brought the first sheep and the design of the loom from Europe and taught the local inhabitants to weave.
Teotitle rug weaver
Teotitlán’s rug makers use wool which, after being shorn from the sheep, washed, carded and spun, is dyed with natural colors from animal, vegetable and mineral sources such as alfalfa leaves (green), the Indigo plant (blue), nutshells and tree barks (tans & browns), and the Cochineal bug (reds/purples), as well as a variety of seeds, fruits and flowers.
The weaving is done on large, wooden treadle looms which are seen all over town at the houses and businesses of the crafts people. Weavers use both traditional designs and those of their own creation with a more modern flavor. The colors are the deep, vibrant tones of nature and are very long-lasting.
Rugs are available in a range of size and the weavings are often made into attractive cushion covers and other design accessories.
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Originally posted 2009-08-14 12:46:48.
