ZAPOTEC INDIAN WEAVINGS from Oaxaca, Mexico

HISTORY AND TRADITION
By the time Christopher Columbus reached the New World in 1492, the Zapotec Indians of Teotitlan Del Valle, a small village nestled among the foothills of the Sierra Madres in the Oaxaca Valley of Southern Mexico, had a centuries old tradition of weaving textiles from cotton and other plant fibers. In the mid-seventeenth century, Dominican friars introduced the European upright loom and sheep to the New World, Southern Mexico and Guatemala. In spite of more recent cultural changes among many of Mexico's native Indian groups, the high level of craftsmanship of the Colonial period serapes is still evident in the distinctive use of color and the handspun yarns in the contemporary rugs and tapestries woven by the Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca.

MATERIALS AND DESIGNS
The use of chemical dyes has increased as U.S. and European collectors have expressed interest in the strong colors pleasing to their own tastes, which often cannot be achieved through the use of natural dyes. However, the Zapotec Indians' unique sense of color still gives these textiles their life and distinctive style. Also, the natural vegetal dyes are still collected from the countryside surrounding the village and cochineal, one of the world's most colorfast natural red dyes, has been a product of the Oaxaca Valley since pre-Hispanic times and is still used by a number of the Zapotec dye-masters. Seppanen & Daughters FINE TEXTILES offers hand-carded and hand-spun Churro wool from an elevation of approx. 10,000 ft. Many of the design elements of these sophisticated weavings have pre-Hispanic antecedents, while others take inspiration from other contemporary Native American Indian groups and modern art.

HANDCRAFTSMANSHIP and NATIVE AMERICANS
The Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca are Native Americans for whom weaving is an outlet for artistic expression, which provides a sense of individual pride. In Teotitlan, weaving is intimately tied to the family unit, where everyone participates in the production process. The older women wash, card and spin the wool into the fine diameter yarns used in the best contemporary Zapotec weavings. Sons and daughters begin weaving in their teenage years under the tutelage of their father.
Because weaving is so tied to the family unit, the success of their weaving directly contributes to the maintenance of their distinctive traditions and culture. Finally, the quality of these hand-crafted textiles is testimony to the Zapotec Indians' traditional culture and family cohesion and serves as a reminder of the level of skill possessed by master craftsmen-a level that has by-and-large been lost to the steady march of "progress" in the United States today.

SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR ZAPOTEC WEAVING
Zapotec weavings are made of fine wool and meant to last many lifetimes. If you use the weaving as a rug, turn and vacuum it often. You can also shake the rug, holding it on the non-fringe side. Shaking a rug while holding it on the fringe side (warp) risks snapping the warp threads. Spills should be blotted immediately. If the spill cannot be removed by blotting, or if the rug is simply showing signs of soil, take it to a reputable Oriental rug cleaner for a cold water and mild soap cleaning.

If the weaving is to be a wall hanging, please remember that it is wool and therefore susceptible to moths. Remove the weaving from the wall every couple of months and put it in the freezer for several days. If you store your weaving for any length of time, remember that it should be stored just as any fine woolen garment,with complete moth protection.