The weaver who came home: Porfirio Gutiérrez of Teotitlán del Valle

Teotitlán del Valle, in Oaxaca's Central Valleys, is a village of weavers. A profile in American Indian magazine, published by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in spring 2019 and written by Justin Mugits, tells the story of Porfirio Gutiérrez, a Zapotec weaver who left home at 18, in 1997, to work in Ventura, California. He took restaurant and factory jobs, and visited home in 2006, when he began to see his family's weaving in a new light.

The magazine reports that in 2007 he and his family founded a studio that sells directly to customers and employs 21 relatives. His sister, Juana, makes the dyes. Colours come from plants such as pericón, a Mexican marigold, pomegranate and sapote, and from cochineal insects, which give reds and crimsons. Other reporting suggests that only about a dozen families in Teotitlán still use natural dyes, and that Gutiérrez has taught workshops for young weavers in the village.

In 2015 he joined the Smithsonian museum's Artist Leadership Program, and afterwards he and his sister ran a workshop in Teotitlán on natural dyeing and weaving. He divides his time between Oaxaca and California. The article quotes him saying that there is something much more important than money, a line that explains why a family might choose a slower, costlier dye.

If you visit the village, ask about the dyes, and expect a prices-and-process conversation. A rug dyed naturally and woven by hand takes weeks, and should cost accordingly. Buy from a workshop that can tell you who made it.