The Mixteca Weavers

The Mixteca Weavers project is a micro-economic project of El Circulo de Mujeres, A.C. The weavers live high in the Sierra Madre in the village of Miramar in the state of Oaxaca in Mexico.

Unable to survive growing coffee for export, the Mixteca women have maintained a tradition of weaving shawls or rebozos on back strap looms. The women purchase locally produced wool or raise their own sheep and card and hand spin the wool. When the wool is ready to be woven, the weaving is

done on the looms, which are hung from trees near their homes.

In addition to wool, the women use cotton for their weavings. The

cotton is grown in Pueblo and hand dyed in Miramar, Oaxaca. The dyeing process uses locally grown plants and cochineal, a bug which lives on the leaves of the cactus and produces beautiful reds in many different hues.

The women weave to feed their families, to maintain their culture and to be part of an artisan community. A shawl or rebozo, depicting ancient Mixteca designs, takes about a month to weave.

The sale of one rebozo/shawl will feed a family of three children for a month.

The Circle of Women partners with the weavers, selling the weavings throughout the U.S. and investing in the Miramar women's capacity and infrastructure. As the project grows, the weavers are learning the business of production, inventory management and sales to local, regional and international markets. Currently, the weavers produce over 130 rebozos each year.

Picture galleries:

The Mixteca weavers 1

The Mixteca Weavers 2

Purchase a shawl online