Sawdust carpet
The most traditional use of these carpets is for processions related to Holy Week in Mexico and Central America (especially in Sutiaba, León, Nicaragua and Antigua Guatemala) and Corpus Christi in the United States.
[1] Most traditional carpets begin with a layer of undyed sawdust spread in a wood frame to smooth out rough surfaces such as stone paved streets and then sprayed with a light coating of water.
The making of the carpets was then extended to Good Friday with images related to that day, Christ on the Cross and a grieving Virgin Mary.
[1] The Spanish brought the custom to Latin America and it was established during the colonial period as part of Holy Week celebration, especially to welcome Good Friday and Easter processions of religious icons carried through the streets.
They were accepted by the indigenous populations especially in Mexico and parts of Guatemala as it was similar to traditions of laying fruit in honor of the gods of the harvest and carpets made from feathers of exotic birds such as hummingbirds, macaws and quetzals.
[1] Today, the making of sawdust carpets is found in Mexico, various Central American countries Honduras, Brazil and Peru.
One example of this is students from Colegio Cedros Norte in Mexico City, who make the carpets for Corpus Christi using grass mats and flower petals, which is more biodegradable.
[8] The Pittsburgh Corpus Christi carpets are dyed with environmentally safe dyes and the sawdust is traditionally re-gathered for use in church gardens.
All month the artisans create carpets in the atrium of the Basilica, the sanctuary of the city's most important image the Nuestra Señora de la Caridad (Our Lady of Charity).
Since 1941, Nuestra Señora de la Caridad leaves its sanctuary in a procession that wanders for eight km around the streets of the city.
They are now made in the city of Tlaxcala for the procession of the Virgin Mary image of Octolán,[12] and for the feast of the Apostle Peter on 29 June in San Pedro Xalostoc, near Ecatepec, State of Mexico .
In Azcapotzalco in Mexico City, large carpets are made with sawdust along with marigold petals, corn, salt and candles for Day of the Dead.
[20] However, the tradition has spread as far south as Teotitlán de Flores Magón, Oaxaca where they are made to honor the saints and Cancún as part of their Day of the Dead festivities.
[15][21] They have been created as far north as Monterrey, where one large carpet/ofrenda surrounded by 300 candles was made to commemorate the victims of a massacre at the city's Casino Royale .
[17] In Central America, two noted events that feature the carpets is the community of Sutiaba in the municipality of León, Nicaragua and in Antigua Guatemala, both of which maintain the original purpose of use during Holy Week.
[23] In Catalonia, a similar tradition is called the Festa de les Enramades d'Arbúcies (Feast of the Bowers) related to Corpus Christi, which was declared a national heritage in 1999.
