When the pandemic hit the world in early 2020, we heard about tourism dropping around the world. In places such as Oaxaca, Mexico, tourism is about 30% of the local income. Artisans in areas such as Oaxaca rely on tourism to feed their families, obtain supplies for their work and so much more. 

In September, we visited our artisan family who are indigenous Zapotecas. We had been speaking with them remotely for months, and to finally meet them in person was like seeing old friends. We are so excited for you to take a look at the process of telas, a craft they have been keeping alive in their family for over 40 years.

The white thread is always the base for the loom. It gets separated and respun and then wound on to this giant spool, they named Julio. This will attach to the loom and the weft and warp technique is used to create all of our textiles. There are over six looms of various sizes in the workshop.

After our tour of the workshop, they took us on a hike into the mountains and pointed out native plants that are used for medicine and food. It is quite clear the connection between land and human are deeply connected and act in kind.

As we visit our artisans, we will continue to update all of you! This is just the beginning of our story...