Oaxaca is very diverse in culture and art, it has different types of handcrafts like alebrijes that are made of copal wood, or the textiles of Teotitlán del Valle, that is what I am going to talk about today.
Teotitlán del Valle is the most famous town that exhibits this textiles that are mats, but there are also other towns that do this.
DID YOU KNOW THAT…?
Teotitlán name comes from náhuatl and means the gods land, also their church is built on top of a pre-hispanic platform.
HOW THE MATS OF TEOTITLÁN ARE MADE?
The main attraction of Teotitlán del Valle are the mats that are made with pedal looms, this handcrafts are colored with natural dyes like grana cochineal.
Teotitlán mats are made with sheep wool, first the sheep are sheared, then the wool is colored and they start to make the yarns, the more it spins on the spinning wheel the less it unravels, after that it passes to the loom where weaving begins.
WHAT IS REPRESENTED ON THE MATS?
The mats can represent pre-hispanic codices, painting from local or international artists (Vincent Van Gogh) or some combinations and own creations.
This is all for today, but next week I have new post, remember to follow me in social networks.
Sources: CULTURA COLECTIVA, ARQUEOLOGÍA MEXICANA RECORRIDOS POR OAXACA VALLES CENTRALES GUÍA VISUAL #24