The artisans of Chiapas and Guerrero are becoming empowered through their embroidery, which have been placed in international markets, said Ana Paula Fuentes, former director of the Textile Museum of Oaxaca and who works with two cooperatives of artisans.
“El camino de los Altos” is the name of the cooperative in San Cristobal de las Casas, where 130 Maya weavers work, who have been counseled on how to promote their garments in domestic and international markets.
The other weaving cooperative called “La flor de Xochistlahuaca” composed of 20 women works as a “facilitator” with two women weavers cooperatives in the Maya region of Chiapas and Amuzgo, Guerrero.
“The work I do with knitters is aimed to make them aware so that they can appreciate and empower themselves through their textiles, which do not look only to sell, but something that is part of their lives and and allows them to live with dignity in addition to preserving the embroidery craft. ”
Fuentes was interviewed in the seminar “Modern Mexico: Fusions, Fashion and Folk Art,” which is currently being held at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), where cultural and scholars from Mexico and the United States are participating.
Born in Mexico City, Fuentes studied textile design and co-founded the experimental study “11011” in Oaxaca.
“The weavers of Chiapas and Guerrero with which sell their textiles work in and out of Mexico in shops, fairs and museums to a market that values the textile and philosophy that these cooperatives have,” she said.
She added that the weavers were invited by the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico to sell their textiles and represent their community.
The promoter said that thanks to the work done with them “these knitters are selling their products to the right market, which values their art and pays a fair price.”
The Royal Ontario Museum, the largest museum of natural history of Canada, has hosted important Mexican exhibitions such as “The Maya”. The exhibition Viva Mexico! Clothing & Culture, which ends on May 23, has attracted more than 130,000 visitors.
The artisans of Chiapas and Guerrero are becoming empowered through their embroidery, which have been placed in international markets, said Ana Paula Fuentes, former director . . .
