Magic and color of the “Oaxacan rugs”

Teotitlán del Valle is a town internationally renowned for the creation of beautiful rugs made on a pedal loom, with wool yarn, natural and dyed with natural dyes. The rugs incorporate designs ranging from pre-Hispanic codices to the most modern, including paintings by artists such as Tamayo, Rivera, Miró and Dalí, Toledo and Picaso, to mention a few. Jorongos and blankets are also made here.

The place? Teotitlán del Valle Oaxaca, means "Land of the Gods" and is located in the central valleys of Oaxaca 31 km from the state capital (approximately 30 minutes). This beautiful colonial town is famous for its textile production due to the abundance of wool spinning workshops. Here you will find sarapes, ponchos, tapestries, rugs and dresses, the most popular being the tapetes. All created under a technique passed from generation to generation with natural dyes and designs that blow the imagination. The handmade rugs made by Oaxacan artisans are made of 100% natural wool. You can feel the love and dedication printed in each knot.

The first rugs were made with neutral colors, but since 1960 they began to be dyed naturally in different ways, which has opened the door to a whole range of colors obtained in ways you would never have imagined before.

When you enter one of their workshops you will be able to observe the elaboration of these pieces of art, according to them (the artisans) the first step (washing the wool) is the most important since this is the way to remove the moth that causes it to itch.

After washing, they proceed with delicacy and dedication to comb it. This is achieved by rubbing the clean wool with two large wooden brushes that use nails as bristles; to finally twist the wool on the spinning wheel with effort since they point out that it is very important to constantly turn the spinning wheel, since the more twisted the thread is, the more difficult it will be to unravel it when making the rug.

In Oaxaca, the textile tradition has pre-Hispanic reminiscences that were fused and enriched with the arrival of the Spaniards, who brought wool-producing sheep, mulberry trees and silkworms, as well as the tools to transform these fibers into yarn and fabrics.

The colonial looms operated by pedals and shuttle were faster than the backstrap looms that were known here, but the creative imagination of the Zapotec artisan, made the looms a hallmark where the technique, patience and skill with which they make their handmade rugs stands out.

Currently in Oaxaca, textile handicrafts from different regions of the state are identified by their designs and colors of great originality, but in Teotitlán del Valle there are families who have been dedicated to this craft for years. Their technique and above all their love for textiles have been passed down from generation to generation.

The time to manufacture each rug can vary from fifteen days to several months, it is a one hundred percent manual process, and everything depends on the complexity of the work, the size and the design.

THE PROCESS
First the wool is carded and spun, the colors are elaborated, and according to the designs, the skeins of yarn are dyed in a vat of boiling water with the dye already prepared and an acid or lemon juice so that the color is impregnated and does not fade.

The colors with which they are dyed are the product of the same

A rug from Teotitlán del Valle is the result of the work and dedication of skilled artisans, who with their magic hands manage to transmit the love they have for this "land of gods", as its name means in the Nahuatl language.