Oaxaca Cultural Navigator

In Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico, with the Chavez Santiago Family — master weaver Federico Chavez Sosa, his wife Dolores Santiago Arrellanas, their daughter Janet Chavez Santiago, and son Omar Chavez Santiago. Janet is fluent in English and a university student of languages and linguistics. Omar has studied English since elementary school and is attending college preparatory high school. All instruction is translated for easy understanding.

Two Dates in 2008: Accepting Registrations Now

• Saturday-Saturday, November 22-29, 2008
  
• Saturday-Saturday, December 13-20, 2008

Includes 22 hours of personalized instruction, 5 participants maximum enrollment, for weavers, knitters, natural dye aficionados, artists, teachers, university students, parents and children (over age 14 when accompanied by an adult).

If you don’t see dates to fit your schedule, contact me. We can arrange a customized schedule. email: normahawthorne@mac.com

Right: Greca pattern rug handwoven with churro wool, naturally dyed with pecan shells and leaves.

Customized sessions are limited to 5 participants, with personalized instruction from master weavers Federico Chavez Sosa and his family. You are invited into the Chavez family home and studio workshop. Not only will you learn the way Zapotecs have been weaving for over 500 years, and dyeing for millenia, you will be experiencing village life through a very unique and personal perspective.

The Chavez family have traveled and exhibited throughout the United States, are in the permanent collections of galleries, museums and artists, including the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame. They have exhibited and lectured widely, including at the National Museum of Mexican Art (Chicago), the San Jose (CA) Quilt and Textile Museum, the American Tapestry Alliance, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Purdue University, and the University of California at Santa Cruz.

See www.oaxacaculture.com website for bios about me and the family

Who Should Attend: weavers, artists, knitters, designers, teachers, university students, anyone interested in weaving and natural dyeing techniques, and sustaining indigenous art forms using ancient technologies

Level of Experience Necessary: These are small group, hands-on workshops that can accommodate varying levels of expertise, from beginner to advanced student. Because the size of each group is limited to 5 people, you will receive individualized instruction and coaching from the master weaving family of Federico Chavez Sosa.

Each student will be assigned her or his own loom for the session. The loom will be dressed (warped) and ready for you to begin weaving upon arrival. Materials include your choice of naturally dyed wool yarn from which you will weave a sampler textile that can be used as a wall hanging, pillow cover, or comprise the body of a purse or shoulder bag. You will select the wool from colors dyed with pomegranates, pecans, mosses, indigo, and cochineal.

Right: Federico Chavez Sosa at his loom working a custom-ordered rug with all natural dyes.

What You Will Learn:

• Traditional Zapotec weaving techniques, patterns and motifs that produce squares, stripes, diagonals, circles and color gradations;
• Use of the two-harness pedal loom and shuttles;
• Practice weaving simple or more complex patterns, depending upon your level of experience;
• The cultural history of rug weaving in Teotitlan, ancient wool preparation techniques, natural dyeing methods, and how to discern synthetic dye use
• Participate in natural dyeing demonstrations to see how the range and variety of color is developed from native plant materials;
• Complete a finished textile: cut the sample tapestry from the loom, clean the wool tapestry, twist and tie the fringes; and
• Work under the expert guidance of weavers whose family has been creating extraordinary textiles for generations.

Weaving Workshop: Days One Through Four

9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Day One, Monday: Arrive at the Chavez Family Studio for an orientation and demonstration of Zapotec weaving patterns and techniques to create squares, stripes, diagonals and circles. Choose your loom and select the colors for your chosen tapestry. Prepare the bobbins. Begin your project. More experienced weavers will work with Federico and and his family to create more complex patterns.

Days Two to Four, Tuesday-Thursday: Participate in demonstrations and then practice using the two-harness pedal loom using a variety of shuttles to make more complex patterns and greater variety of colors, experiment with using the equipment on your own, learn dyeing techniques using cochineal, indigo and moss. Learn how to count threads to create a circle or square within the overall design. Finish off your piece by cutting it off the loom, cleaning it, then tying fringes.

What Is Included:

• All weaving equipment and supplies to create a finished wool tapestry sampler that is approximately 18” wide by 24” long
• 22 hours of supervised instruction in English by renowned master weavers
• An educational reference notebook of workshop materials to take home with you
• Afternoon lunch (Comida), snacks, beverages daily for four days
• Seven nights lodging with daily breakfast in Teotitlan del Valle at a lovely and comfortable bed and breakfast within easy walking distance of the Chavez Santiago Family studio
• Guided visits to Tlacolula Sunday market, archeological sites of Mitla, Dainzu and Yagul, organic farm and weaving cooperative, Oaxaca textile museum with private tour; meet renown painters and weavers.
  
• Additional nights lodging and single supplements available.
  

Complete Week-long Itinerary

Saturday: Arrive in Oaxaca, travel by taxi (on your own) to your bed and breakfast in Teotitlan del Valle. Explore the village on your own.

Sunday: Your guide will meet you at 10 a.m. at your bed and breakfast for the trip to the Tlacolula market. Transportation will be provided. Return in time for comida (late lunch) on your own. Meet at 4:30 p.m. in the B&B courtyard to visit local artists and weavers.

Monday-Thursday: Oaxaca Weaving Workshop: Dancing on the Loom at the home and workshop of the Federico Chavez Santiago family.

Tuesday Afternoon: After comida and the day’s weaving session is over, your guide will take you to the organic farm and weaving cooperative for a discussion of how natural plant materials are grown for dyeing.

To Be Arranged: Private tour of the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, and visits to the archeological sites of Yagul, Mitla and Dainzu. Admission and transportion included.

Cost for the 7-Night/8-Day Program is $1,340 USD per person, double accommodations. Single supplement is $1,685 USD per person.

Contact: normahawthorne@mac.com for more information and to register.

Below: Eric Chavez Santiago winding warp for his next tapete (rug).

How to Register: A $500 USD deposit is required to reserve your space.

Final payment of the balance is due 15 days before the start day of the workshop. If the final balance is not paid within 15 days before the start day of the workshop,we reserve the right to treat the reservation as cancelled. Any registrations made within 15 days of the workshop date must be paid in full at the time of registration.

If cancellation is necessary, deposits are refundable, as follows:

Any cancellation by a participant must be made in writing by email. Deposits may be refunded

• up to 30 days before the workshop start date, less a $100 cancellation fee.
• up to 15 days before the workshop start date, less a $200 cancellation fee.
• After that, deposits are not refundable.
• If cancellation is necessary, you may apply the deposit to a future workshop scheduled in the same calendar year. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule workshops, in which case you may choose a 100% refund or to apply the tuition to a future workshop.

Personal checks are accepted. We can also accept payment with PayPal. Contact us for details.

What Is NOT Included:

• Lodging and transportation in/to Mexico, Oaxaca and Teotitlan
• Some local transportation costs (bus, taxi, collectivo)
  
• Gratuities and fees
• Trip insurance, medical expenses, hospitalization, and other fees
• Evening dinners, snacks, liquor
• Optional afternoon side trips and excursions

Upon registration for the workshop, we will provide you with:

• Transportation options to get from the Oaxaca airport to Teotitlan del Valle and your bed and breakfast
  

• A walking map to the Chavez casa and contact information.
• A list of recommended lodging in Oaxaca, in the event you wish to extend your stay or arrive earlier.
• A list of recommended reading, a seasonal packing list, and travel tips to make your journey easier and more fun, including a self-guided walking map of Teotitlan del Valle
• Immunization, Visa and passport information, How to Get There, weather information, money exchange

Note: Zapotec weavers use the pedal loom, which they stand at to work. People who have difficulty standing for any period of time, or who have back problems are discouraged from attending. Many of Teotitlan’s streets and alleyways are cobble stone and/or dirt, with many uneven surfaces. It is a several block walk between lodging options and the weaving workshop. Please bring appropriate walking shoes.

Here, below right, Dolores and Federico are completing a “Mountains and Rains” pattern rug woven with all natural dyes. It is one of the largest commissions they have created, 12 x 16 ft.

Optional and Included Activities:

Friday Market, Ocotlan with stops in San Martin Tilcajete and San Tomas Jalieza; Sunday Market, Tlacolula (included); cooking classes; temezcal bath; Spanish lessons; hiking to Mt. Picacho and the Presa; birdwatching in Benito Juarez; visit to Cochineal Farm; a day in Arrazola and Atzompa; handmade paper factory in San Augustin Etla; visits to 2,000+ year old Zapotec archeological sites: Mitla, Dainzu, Yagul (included). Customized day trips can be arranged before or after the workshop. Prices quoted upon request.

Optional Fee-Based Services to Be Arranged:

• Pre- or Post-Workshop day trips to craft villages and regional markets, that includes transportation and visits to renowned artists and artisans in San Martin Tilcajete, Arrazola, San Tomas Jalieza, and Ocotlan
• Airport pick-up and transportation from Oaxaca to Teotitlan
• Teotitlan village walking tours to meet other artists and artisans working in natural dyes

Documentation

U.S. Citizens traveling to Mexico are required to carry a current passport, valid for at least three months after your re-entry to the U.S. It is your responsibility to obtain proper documentation. If you are not a U.S. Citizen, contact the Mexican embassy, consulate or national airline of Mexico for entry requirements.

Trip Insurance

Please consider purchasing travel insurance. Unforeseen circumstances of getting to Teotitlan del Valle could cost you more than you expected. In the event of an emergency or natural disaster caused beyond our control, trip insurance will cover any unexpected expenses.