Amuzgo Weavers On the Rise

“When an Amuzgo woman ties her loom to her waist, she not only creates a fascinating textile of quality and beauty, but symbolically she recreates the world, writes the history of her ancestors and expresses the cosmology of her culture.”

Maximama proudly displays her wares–the organic green cotton pillows.

Two-and-a-half years ago, ClothRoads visited the Amuzgo weaving cooperative of La Flor de Xochistlahuaca in the highlands of Guerrero, Mexico. This cooperative was founded in 1969 by Florentina Lopez de Jesus, a great master of Mexican folk art. We were greatly looking forward to meeting her. But when we arrived, we were told she was not feeling well, and the next day learned she had passed away that night. We were deeply concerned about what would become of this group without its founder, Florentina.

The natural-colored huipiles are brocade woven with handspun green and brown cotton.

Florentina’s sister, Proferina, is wearing her traditional brocaded cotton huipil.

Fast forward to today–this group is going strong. There are twenty-eight women making high-quality textiles using traditional techniques and designs. (At the time of our visit, there were only seventeen cooperative members.) But they need your help to flourish and have a huge goal. Their aim is to transform their workplace in order to keep weaving in proper and healthy conditions, to transform their shop into an attractive showroom for their prestigious textiles, and to build a workshop space for natural dyeing in order to deepen their ancestral knowledge.

House of Artisans: La Flor de Xochistlahuaca

Traditional short huipiles line the wall of the store.

Let’s elevate the artisans of La Flor de Xochistlahuaca to the next level. They have established a crowdfunding campaign—any contribution no matter how small will help. Here´s the link to learn more, a must-watch video, and how you can make a donation.

If you’re attending the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, stop by their booth and purchase one of their exquisitely woven textiles.

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With gratitude from La Flor de Xochistlahuaca cooperative and ClothRoads.