Handcrafts and folk art in Oaxaca
Today, the state boasts the largest number of working artisans in Mexico, producing a wide range of products that continue to grow and evolve to meet changing tastes in the market.
[2][3][4][5] One distinguishing feature of Oaxaca handcrafts is specialization of production by community, which began in the pre-Hispanic period supported by a complex web of regional markets.
[1][6] This tradition is maintained because of the state's mountainous terrain and poverty, which has inhibited the development of transportation infrastructure allowing communities to remain relatively autonomous and fractured politically and socially.
Traditional dyes for textiles include those made from the cochineal insect, which produces various shades of red and a marine snail found on the state's coastline for purple.
[2][10] Production techniques are largely unchanged since the pre Hispanic and colonial periods, made in family workshops, with labor often divided by sex, age and social status.
The Spanish also introduced glazed ceramics, the filigree method of making gold and silver jewelry and the working of new metals, especially tin and iron.
[3] For example, by 1965 in San Miguel del Valle, only a few old men still weaved the local wood[clarification needed], using natural dyes because the demand was so low.
However, in the 1960s and 1970s, the construction of modern roadways, especially the Pan American Highway, allowed the development of a tourist industry, catering to those looking to explore traditional Mexico as well as the coastline.
[6] The 20th century also saw some changes in technique, especially the use of synthetic dyes and paints and commercial thread, as well as lead-free glazes, but these have not completely replaced more traditional production.
[15] These efforts also include those outside of Mexico, such as a government-run outlet in Pasadena, California, financing for export by Bancomext and sales by groups such as the Friends of Oaxacan Folk Art .
[6][16][17] Handcraft traditions continue to evolve in the state, generally to cater to tourist and foreign tastes and include the creation of new products such as alebrijes.
[1][6] The Centro de Diseño Oaxaca has worked to join artisans and contemporary designers to create new products based on traditional techniques and to document the development of handcrafts and folk art in the state.
[3] Although the promotion of handcrafts and folk art is a priority in the social and economic development of the state, there is still a lack of government support, often due to bureaucracy.
[6][14] Those who do venture outside the capital visit larger producers such as the weaving town of Teotitlan del Valle, and the alebrije carving centers of Arrazola and Tilcajete.
[21] Teotitlan is the main producer and marketing center for these wool textiles, making it one of the most prosperous indigenous communities that depends on a handcraft.
This marketing has led to a class system among the Zapotec in the area, with the middlemen in Teotitlan in tension with producers even before goods reach outside hands.
[6] Pottery making can be found in many parts of the state, but the two best-known centers are San Bartolo Coyotepec and Santa Maria Atzompa.
[4] They were created in the 20th century, with the concept conceived by Mexico City cartonería maker Pedro Linares, who Oaxaca lore states emigrated from Arrazola to the capital.
[23] The first to develop Oaxaca alebrijes was Manuel Jiménez Ramírez of Arrazola, who created them for over thirty years before his death, using soft copal wood which is still preferred.
The two towns originally began selling to tourists but eventually the pieces became collectors’ items that are now sold in shops and galleries in the US and other countries.
[2] The town of Santo Tomás Jalieza specializes in cotton textiles, embroidered items and those woven with a backstrap loom such as blouses, sarapes (shawls), other traditional clothing and tablecloths.
[9][22] It has been known for its backstrap loom works for at least 400 years, with most of its production in the colonial period sold locally, especially to communities in the Sierra de Villa Alta.
[1][2][4] As these areas are not generally visited by tourists, the main outlets for baskets is the Centro de Abastos (wholesale food market) in the city of Oaxaca and the Sunday tianguis in Tlacolula.
[25] The best known potters are the Aguilar family, dominated by sisters Josefina, Guillermina, Irene and Concepción who create fanciful multicolored figurines.
[1] In Valle de Etla, one group of indigenous residents has taken to collecting old tires found on the highway and have begun converting them into handcrafts.
[30] Wrought iron and other metal work is found in the towns of Tlaxiaco in the west and Santa Catarina Juquila and Santiago Jamiltepec in the southwest of the state, generally practical items such as knives.
[1][2][5] The Tehuantepec area produces an orange-colored pottery, which is highly resistant to breakage and generally used for tile, flowerpots and other heavy duty items.
However, over fifty workshops in the Juchitan area has banded into a cooperative to promote their products, especially in May when the city hold its regional fair which attracts many visitors.
Filigree and hammered pieces are also produced in Huajuapan de León, often reproductions of jewelry found in Monte Albán and other archeological sites.
[1] The weaving of palm fronds is most commonly done in the tropical Mixtec region of the state in the west and includes hats, mats, flower vases and small purses.
