 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
MAYAN FIBERS AND CULTURE From the Oaxacan coast to the Chiapan highlands, a journey woven of handspun threads and culture diversity
. . . Visits to villages, weavers, and Mayan churches guided by Mayan expert, Chip Morris. . . Please note that the following trip description and itinerary will be changed for the 2009 season. Please check back later for the full details, or contact us directly at traditonsmexico@yahoo.com
Like old-time Mesoamerican traders, we will travel into the highlands from the coast of Oaxaca, starting our journey in the bays of Huatulco, long used as a port for traders and pirates. Our route will take us through the lands of the Zapotecs and Huaves before we settle in the Mayan highlands. We’ll visit a village of assertive Zapotec women who embroider and wear the floral velvet blouses and dresses once so dear to Frida Kahlo and travel out to a broad sand spit where the shy Huave women weave images of the world around them on their backstrap looms. This journey from Coastal Oaxaca to the Mayan highlands provides us with a broad and spectacular panorama of weaving traditions and cultures. For lovers of weaving, travel and unique cultures this journey offers a rare opportunity to experience this land as few can. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Day 2, (B,L,D). Huatulco with its tidy streets, hotels and lovely beaches tempts one to linger, but ours is not a resort trip, and so, after a morning dip, we hit the road to visit places the resort travelers will never see. We head to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, home of the once and still powerful Istmo Zapotecs and an important historical crossroads. En route we will stop at Playa Cangrejo to smell the salt air and enjoy a wonderful lunch of fresh fish and cold beer. Evening in Tehuantepec.
Day 3, (B,L,D). By now you will have seen, adorning the isthmus women, the lovely floral huipiles or blouses that are traditional wear here and were popularized by famed Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. This morning we go to the little village of Santa Rosa, which is one of the principle sources of these huipiles. In Santa Rosa almost every woman spends part of the day embroidering blouses that are commissioned by shop owners and women from the neighboring towns. We will visit with several of these women to see their stunning work. Then we will travel out to the long sand spit between the Pacific and a large lagoon called the Calm Sea to visit with the Huave people who live there. In San Mateo we will meet with backstrap weavers who incorporate images from their surroundings, like crabs and cranes, into their brocaded weavings. Evening in Tehuantepec.
Day 4, (B,L,D). Today we leave the humid, thick-aired coastal lowlands and make for the pine-clad highlands of Chiapas. But first we’ll visit the bustling town of Tehuantepec where we will soak in the colorful and fragrant market and the imposing Zapotec women who run it. As we travel we will stop to take in the road side wonders and give our backends a rest from the seats. In the afternoon we will arrive in the wonderful colonial town of San Cristobal de Las Casas, which will serve as our base camp for the rest of the trip. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
Day 5, (B,L). Chip Morris will join us this morning as our exceptional guest guide for our visits to the highland weaving communities around San Cristobal. Our first visit will be to the Tzotzil Maya village of Zinacantan and then to the village of Chamula. We will meet with exceptional weavers, visit the Zinacantan community museum and have an opportunity to purchase some of the weavings we’ll be seeing. In the afternoon we visit the Sna Jolobil weaving cooperative and store. Representing 800 weavers from 20 communities, Sna Jolobil is a mouthwatering mother load of superb quality highland Mayan weavings. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
Day 6, (B,L). We head out this morning for a field trip that takes us to the village of Aguacatenango to see white on white embroidery work and the nearby village of Amatenango where just about every woman in town is a potter to see a pottery demonstration. Afterwards we return to San Cristobal for and have several hours free to explore the city. In the afternoon we will meet up with Chip again and he will interpret some of the different meanings woven into the symbols of the Mayan blouses. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
Day 7, (B, L,D). This morning we meet up with Chip again for a shopping tour of San Cristobal. He will take us to a fine selection of shops and market stalls that are known for their wonderful textiles and other goodies. The rest of the day is open for more wandering, journaling or just putting your feet up and soaking this enchanting place in. In the evening we gather again for a visit to Na Bolom, which was the home of the renowned Swiss and Danish anthropologist/archeologist team of Trudy and Franz Blom. Chip will show us around this wonderful, musty museum rich in books, photos and the sense of another era and we will have dinner at the Na Bolom long table. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
Day 8, (B, L). Today we will visit the village of Tenejapa with Chip to see dyeing and weaving. We meet with Maria Meza Giron, an exemplary weaver and one of the co-founders, along with her son Pedro and Chip, of the Sna Jolobil weavers cooperative. (See Maria’s work in Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art, pg 411). We will be having lunch at Maria’s house in Tenejapa. In the afternoon we return to San Cristobal and there will be free time for exploring the town or relaxing. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
Day 9, (B,L,D). This morning Chip will take us to San Andres, famous for its spectacular wool brocade. And today is market day, which is an exotic treat. We will wade into the midst of this ancient Sunday custom and enjoy. Further along, in the village of Magdalena we meet a Mayan gentleman who makes the fine shoulder bags used in this region out of twined agave fiber and visit with other weavers. In the evening we will dust off and find a classy place to eat our final dinner together. Evening in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
Day 10, (B). After breakfast it is time to pack our bags and move on, back to our own neck of woods. Those traveling home today will want to transfer to Tuxtla Gutierrez, about 1.5 hours, where flights can be booked to Mexico City. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SUGGESTED READING Morris, Walter (Chip), Living Maya, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. New
York, 1986. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Home | Our Tours | Photo Gallery | Links | Oaxacan Folkart | Contact Us | Site Contents |
here are few places left in the world where the clothes people wear are the clothes they weave. The Mayan highlands of Chiapas, Mexico are one of these rare places. Their weaving is gorgeous, without question some of the most exquisite traditional weaving in the Americas. These Mayan weavers are the ancestors of the great Mayan civilizations that ruled the Chaipan highlands and southern jungles 1,500 years ago. The great cities and temples of Palenque, Chichen Itza and Tikal lie in ruins, but Mayan civilization lives on in cool mountain villages. Our ten day trip will focus on these highland weaving villages, and with Mayan textile expert, Chip Morris, as our guest guide in the highlands, doors will open to us that normally are closed to outsiders among these reserved people. Ours is an unparalleled opportunity to learn about Mayan weaving and meet the people who do it.
