Zapotec Rugs
Handcraftsmanship and Native Americans
The Zapotec Indians of Teotitlan are Native Americans for whom weaving is an outlet for artistic expression which provides a sense of individual pride. What's more, in Teotitlan, weaving is intimately tied to the family unit, where everyone participates in the production process. The older women wash, card and spin the wool into the fine diameter yarns used in the best contemporary Zapotec weavings. Sons and daughters begin weaving in their teenage years under the tutelage of their fathers, who creates the designs and dyes for the unique palette that distinguishes the family's work. Because weaving is so tied to the family unit, the success of their weaving directly contributes to the maintenance of the distinctive traditions and culture. Finally, the quality of these hand-crafted textiles is testimony to the Zapotec Indians' tradtitional culture and family cohesion and serves as a reminder of the level of skill possessed by master craftsmen...a level that has by-and-large been lost to the steady march of "progress" in the United States today.
The Zapotec Indians of Teotitlan are Native Americans for whom weaving is an outlet for artistic expression which provides a sense of individual pride. What's more, in Teotitlan, weaving is intimately tied to the family unit, where everyone participates in the production process. The older women wash, card and spin the wool into the fine diameter yarns used in the best contemporary Zapotec weavings. Sons and daughters begin weaving in their teenage years under the tutelage of their fathers, who creates the designs and dyes for the unique palette that distinguishes the family's work. Because weaving is so tied to the family unit, the success of their weaving directly contributes to the maintenance of the distinctive traditions and culture. Finally, the quality of these hand-crafted textiles is testimony to the Zapotec Indians' tradtitional culture and family cohesion and serves as a reminder of the level of skill possessed by master craftsmen...a level that has by-and-large been lost to the steady march of "progress" in the United States today.
