OAXACAN CRAFTS:
woodcarving, pottery, basketery, weaving, textiles and embroidery

Basketery Making beautiful and useful things out of palms and reeds is one of the oldest and least-changed Mexican crafts.

Basketry is produced all over Oaxaca wherever ‘carriz’, the local bamboo, grows along the waterways and palm fronds can pulled from the trees. Principal regions of production are around Sola de Vega and throughout the Mixteca area (the north-western part of the state bordering Puebla). The town of Huajuapan de León in the Upper Mixteca has two huge warehouses full of fine palm hats from villages all around. In the market place of Villa de Etla, not far to the northwest of the City of Oaxaca, beautiful baskets are sold during festivals with geometric designs in magenta, green and purple. In Juchitán, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec where there are many palm groves, weavers make sombreros, baskets and mats. ‘Tenat’ is the ‘ame of the palm baskets of various sizes, round or square-bottomed and made without handles, soft, pliable and infinitely useful. With a loose strap attached, they serve as carryalls and hold agricultural products harvested in the fields, and coffee beans in the fincas of the Coast. The large fronds of the royal palm are used in the Pacific region to roof many of the buildings, from small huts to shopping centers. Palm fronds are the material of the universally worn sombreros, small covered oval and round baskets to hold make-up, jewelry, sewing tools, kitchen items, etc. Delicate little cases hold eyeglasses, money and cigarettes. Plaiting palm fronds is fine work and done with dampened, split pieces that are colored by dipping them into clay dye pots. The red, green and magenta patterns are lovely in sombreros as well as baskets. The fresh smell of a newly woven sombrero permeates the nostrils as though the palms are still growing close by. Purses and beach bags are also nicely made.

Reeds are thicker and less pliable than palm fronds and are used for bird cages, fireworks frames and the more rigid baskets. A handsome basket for holding tortillas is made with broad, flat splints. This basket is even copied in miniature out of alpaca (nickel silver); other tiny basket forms appear in jewelry stores made of precious metals, to be used for pill boxes. Another, important utilitarian product is the ‘petate’ or mat, usually 4 x 6', very good as a floor covering for summer homes and a beach mat. The thinner ones are used in Mexico to wrap flowers to go to market, and little ones hung from the rafters make baby cradles. Tiny baskets of both wicker and palm hang on strings in the market stalls and are used as party favors, for holding drink glasses and toys.

The large ‘carrizo’ or split bamboo baskets used to transport pottery and other goods are called ‘canastos’ These are good laundry baskets, come with tops and function well for shipping from Mexico to the U.S. Fantastic bird cages of ‘carrizo’ come from villages southwest of Tlacolula, principally Papalutla and Guelav’a. They are constructed in the form of churches with cupolas and chickens on top or small houses, others are shelves for dishes, or toy trucks and airplanes. Another type of constantly used rigid basket is the ‘canasta,’ with a handle across the top and woven of reeds. These are hung over a woman’s arm to go to market and be filled with what’s for supper: tomatoes, eggs, cheese, rolls, a chicken. The Tlacolula and Abastos markets always have a supply of these baskets made in Papalutla and other near-by towns. Papalutla has recently started making handsome baskets with dark and light plaits in a design similar to one appearing on woven belts from Jalieza, where it represents the traditional feathered headdress of the dancer who imitates the guacamaya, a tropical bird symbolizing the God Quetzalcoatl.

An important use of ‘carrizo’ is making ‘cohetes’ or fireworks, the job of a ‘cohetero,’ who nonchalantly wanders about under his spark-spouting creations. The ‘cohetero’ combines gunpowder first imported by the Spaniards with the Mexican talent for extravagant display. Fiestas are just not fiestas without fireworks and ‘toritos,’ the little bulls. A bamboo frame shaped like a small bull’s upper body is covered with paper and fitted with pinwheels, rockets and other explosives made from magnesium and black power. Teenage boys take turns running the contraption around, turning and charging like a real little bull and sending delicious waves of terror through the audience.

The grand finale for big festivals is a more elaborate creation called a ‘astillo’ (castle tower), up to three and four stories in height and again fitted with a maximum of exploding devices. When it is lit, the top whirls around and miniature soldiers shoot their cannons into the audience. The contraption gyrates, showers sparks, makes horrible noises, scares-to-death and enraptures the audience: ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ rolled into one.

 MAP OF OAXACA CENTRAL VALLEYS: Archeological sites and craft villages.
  Archeological sites in Oaxaca: Monte Albán, Mitla, Yagul, Dainzu, Mogote.
  Craft villages in the central valleys of Oaxaca: Tottitlan del Valle (weaving), Atzompa (greeen pottery), Arazola (wood carving), San Bartolo Coyotepec (black pottery), Ocotlan (clay figures, woven baskets).