Luis Martinez weaving in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
LUIS MARTINEZ - MASTER WEAVER
TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE, OAXACA, MEXICO
Just some of the hundreds of designs
of rugs

The Zapotec people from Teotitlán del Valle in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, have been weaving rugs for centuries, even before the Spanish conquest. Now the rugs are woven on huge wooden looms that the Spanish brought and the Teotitecos started using wool instead of cotton, but continue weaving they did. Before the Conquest the Teotitecos wove beautiful mantles and capes for the Zapotec nobility, using designs that were dear to them, such as the symbols for lighting, rain, the tree of life, the Oaxacan flower, Zapotec dieties and geometric patterns.

After a brief sojourn into synthetic dyes in the 60s, 70s & 80s, the 90s brought a resurgence of dying the wool with the same natural, vegetable and plant dyes that their ancestors used. Such as the cochineal bug, a bug larvae parasite that attacks the prickly pear cactus. When dried and crushed it provides a gorgeous color of deep red wine, but in the hands of an experienced weaver, the cochineal bug can yield 100 different shades, from light lavender to deep burgundy.

The Martinez family weavers don't just weave your rug, they start by buying bulk wool and then proceed to clean it, card it and then spin it on an old fashioned spinning wheel. It is then ready to be dyed and dried and then wrapped around the little carrizo (relative of bamboo, see picture above) spools for the weaver to begin the actual weaving, which can take anywhere from 2 weeks for a small prayer rug size, or up to several months for a large area rug. It takes several members of the extended Martinez family to produce the rugs you see in the store.

Luis Martinez is very fortunate to have the best location in all of Oaxaca to sell his family's rugs. He is located right across the street (to one side) from Santo Domingo Church, on the famous tourist walkway, Calle Alcala #402. If you go to visit Luis, he will surely invite you to his village, Teotitlan del Valle, to see the above mentioned weaving process. He is very friendly and warm and speaks fluent Zapotec, Spanish, English and French. If you are taking a group to Oaxaca, or will be by yourself, please be sure to visit Luis in his store and he will be happy to take you on a trip to his village to meet the rest of the family.

The rugs that you see pictured above are all for sale, and if you are not lucky enough to be traveling to Oaxaca soon, you can purchase these rugs by talking with Luis. He accepts credit cards and will handle your shipping for you. There are too many styles of rugs to show here, but any of the above rugs can be made just for you in any colors and sizes you desire. He can even do custom orders for rugs like company logos or portrait rugs. Don't be afraid to use your imagination and come up with your own design. Luis can translate your design into a beautifully woven piece of art.

LUIS MARTINEZ RUGS OF TEOTITLAN DEL VALLE
M. Alcala #402
Colonia Centro Historico
Oaxaca, 68000
Oaxaca, Mexico