My Mexican Mid-Life Crisis

A couple of weeks ago, I joined some new friends on a tour of some of the areas outside of the city of Oaxaca. One town we visited was Teotitlan. The summary description of the town from Wikipedia (copied below) will give you a sense of why it is so special. For me, the most mind-blowing revelation was how the artisans extract the vibrant colors they add to the wool from natural sources – e.g., green from moss, red from the liquid of a squished bug that feeds on a cactus that has red flesh, pinkish/purple from pomegranate shells, brown from pecan shells. I’ve included some pictures of the wool below. The video is of one of the family of indigenous artisans who crafts their gorgeous rugs. She has been doing this work since she was 6 years old. The rug pictured uses all of the colors of wool they produce.

From Wikipedia: “Teotitlán del Valle is a small village and municipality located in the Tlacolula District in the east of the Valles Centrales Region, 31 km from the city of Oaxaca in the foothills of the Sierra Juárez mountains. It is part of the Tlacolula Valley district.^[1] It is known for its textiles, especially rugs, which are woven on hand-operated looms, from wool obtained from local sheep and dyed mainly with local, natural dyes. They combine historical Zapotec designs with contemporary designs such as reproductions of famous artists’ work. Artists take commissions and participate in tours of family-owned workshops.^[2][3] The name Teotitlán comes from Nahuatl and means “land of the gods.” Its Zapotec name is Xaguixe, which means “at the foot of the mountain.” Established in 1465, it was one of the first villages founded by Zapotec peoples in this area^[1] and retains its Zapotec culture and language.

This village is considered to be one of the first that was founded by the Zapotecs around 1465. It was originally named Xaquija, which means “celestial constellation”. According to research done by Manuel Martínez Gracida, there was a large stone split in half with the name of the Stone of the Sun. It was the first idol of the Zapotecs here. It was believed that a god came from the heavens in the form of a bird, accompanied by a constellation of stars to found the temple here.^[1] Teotitlán del Valle was refounded as a Spanish village in 1527. It is believed that the father of one of the Niños Heroes, by the name of Agustín Melgar, was from here, due to village records bearing his name. “