Oaxacan tapestries

Our Oaxacan tapestries, handwoven and colored with natural dye, combines ancient Zapotecan weaving techniques with methods introduced by Spanish settlers and contemporary Mexican artistic sensitivity.

Ancient Zapotecas used mineral and vegetal dyes such as chicalote, indigo and garnet. Legend has it that around 1535 Bishop Juan López de Zárate brought sheep from Spain to a farm of his property at Tlalixtac de Cabrera. Using these sheep’s wool and a European style treadle loom which he had built, he taught a new technique to the skilled Zapotecan weavers. From then on, the beauty of their tapestries has only increased, along with the celebrity of this fine craftsmen, whose work contributes to the cozy atmosphere of Casa María.