Deep in the vibrant hills of Oaxaca, Mexico, Maria Sanchez sits at her loom, fingers moving with a practiced grace that spans three generations. We had the privilege of sitting down with Maria to discuss her craft, her inspiration, and the future of traditional Zapotec weaving.
"The patterns are not just patterns," Maria explains, her hands never ceasing their dance across the threads. "They are stories. This one is the rain, this one is the mountain, this one is the journey of our ancestors." For Maria, weaving is not just a job; it is a way of preserving her culture, a language spoken in wool and natural dyes.
Her process is beautifully slow. The wool is sourced from local sheep, washed by hand in the river, and dyed using pigments foraged from the surrounding countryside—pomegranate skins for gold, cochineal for a deep, startling red. "It takes many days to make one rug," she says with a smile, "but it will last many lifetimes."
