Zapotec Tapestry Weaving Workshop
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February 1 - 10, 2009
(For tour price and other information, please see the Trip Details sidebar on this page)
Download printable tour details in PDF format (600kb)
Behind almost every door there is household workshop with floor looms whispering away around the courtyards. . .
There is no other village like Teotitlan del Valle. Set at the foot of the green Sierra Madre del Sur and crowned by a white washed colonial church, it is a weaver’s dream come true, a village of 5,000 Zapotec weavers, spinners and dyers. Behind almost every door there is household workshop with floor looms whispering away around the courtyards as tapestries both bold and subtle are created on them. And the people of Teotitlan are some of the most friendly and hospitable people you will meet anywhere, ever.
There could not be a more perfect place to immerse yourself in a slow, dream-like, ten day journey into learning to weave Zapotec tapestries with a master weaver. Our teacher, Demetrio Bautista Lazo, is a highly skilled weaver, extraordinary natural dyer, fine teacher and an infectiously positive person. Demetrio will work by our sides while we learn to create classic Teotitlan patterns on pre-warped looms using a rich pallet of naturally dyed wool yarns.
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Natural wool-colored tapestry by Arnulfo Mendoza |
Trip Features |
32 hours weaving instruction with master weaver Demetrio Bautista Lazo
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Natural dyeing demonstrations and instruction in cochineal, wild chamomile and mosses
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| Visits to workshops of master weavers in Teotitlan. |
Cane basketry, flying shuttle looms and traditional candle making demonstrations
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| Field trips to markets and pre-Hispanic ruins |
| Studio time for working on your weavings |
| The best of Oaxacan cuisine at every meal |
| Field trips to markets, the pre-Hispanic ruins of Mitla and Monte Alban, traditional distillery, Santo Domingo Regional Museum. |
| Studio time for working on your weavings. |
| The best of Oaxacan cuisine at every meal. |
| A privileged and intimate look at the life of this wonderful weaving village. |
Between weaving instruction and studio time we will also lean over the dye pots, learning some of Demetrio’s secrets with cochineal (how does he got 100+ colors out of this mite-sized bug?), and a variety of local plants, barks and mosses. All the while you will be staying in Demetrio’s cozy bed and breakfast on the edge of Teotitlan. Since our looms are in the same house, you can weave to your heart’s content. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore this friendly village and meet some of the weavers in your free time and we’ll introduce you to a few of the finer weavers in town.
This is a wonderful and rare opportunity to study tapestry weaving with a master Zapotec weaver while immersed in a village that lives and breathes all things woven, situated in the center of one of Mexico’s most lovely and traditional states and based out of a friendly and comfortable family-run bed and breakfast. Consider this a once in a lifetime weaving experience, one that you will likely never forget.
Guides and presenters for this workshop will be Demetrio Bautista and Kirsten Szykitka.
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Itinerary
(B, L, D) = breakfast, lunch, dinner included)
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Teotitlan floor loom detail |
Trip
Details |
| Where |
The weaving village of Teotitlan in the Mexican State of Oaxaca |
| When |
Feb 1 - 10, 2009 |
| Duration |
10 days, 9 nights (nights 2-8 in lodging with shared bathrooms) |
| Size |
7-14 participants |
| Cost |
$1,980 double occupancy; Single supplement $300. |
| Trip Guides |
Demetrio and Kirsten Szykitka |
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Day 1, Sunday (D) We will have our first meeting this evening at 6:00 p.m. where we will meet each other and our hosts. Then we will head out for a Oaxacan dinner. Evening in Oaxaca.
Day 2, Monday (B,L,D) We are here to weave, but we’ll take some time this morning for a walking tour of Oaxaca city to get a glimpse of this lovely old town, before heading out to the village of Teotitlan where we’ll spend the majority of our time. After lunch in Oaxaca we’ll travel out to this village of 5,000 weavers, about 30 minutes from Oaxaca city, settle into our lodgings for the next 7 nights and meet Demetrio. Then we begin. Evening in Teotilan.
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Tlacolula Sunday market |
Days 3-8, Tuesday-Sunday (B,L,D) We will spend about 4 hours each day focused on weaving with Demetrio and other Teotitlan weavers on hand to instruct and assist. You will be developing a tapestry pattern using the Teotitlan tapestry techniques and selecting from a spectrum of naturally dyed wools available in Demetrio’s workshop. As we will be staying in the same house as our looms, you can weave morning, noon and night. We will rest our backs from the looms, however, with visits to the dye pots to learn some of Demetrio’s tricks, as well as take field trips to a variety of places such as the big Tlacolula market, the home of a cane basket maker, a cottage candle workshop, the famous ruins of the Mitla palaces, explorations in the village of Teotitlan, including a house with the 14’ wide loom, and more. And we’ll keep you fueled up with delicious meals.
Day 9. Monday (B,L,D) After a final bit of weaving and cutting off our works of art, we’ll bid farewell to Teotitlan and head back to Oaxaca city. You will have the afternoon free to explore the town. We’ll gather in the evening for a final dinner and farewells.<
Day 10, Tuesday. Departures
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Diamond pattern on a taupe field, by Arnulfo Mendoza |
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Dyed wool - Teotitlan |
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