Amuzgo Mexican Backstrap Weaving Workshop
In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to learn an ancient Mexican weaving technique directly from the skilled Amuzgo artisan Gabina Valentín López, who will be visiting the Netherlands. You will learn how to set up the loom, weave Amuzgo symbolic patterns, understand their meanings, and familiarize yourself with some of the Mexican plants used in natural dyeing processes. You will work with fine cotton threads, both raw and naturally dyed, and will have the chance to select symbols from a fabric sample that resonate with your style and composition.
Each backstrap loom used in the workshop is hand-crafted by Gabina and her family, and at the end of the session, you will have the opportunity to take one home with you.
The backstrap loom is a pre-Hispanic tool that allowed Mesoamerican women to express their creativity by making their own garments. They are very portable due to their weight, which is under 500g, and their compact size (less than 46 cm), making them perfect to fit into any bag or backpack.
With this Amuzgo backstrap weaving workshop, we invite you to immerse yourself in the ancestral pre-Hispanic Mexican culture and connect with a unique way of life and weaving. You will learn to appreciate the ancient knowledge of grandmothers, their dreams, worldviews, ideologies, and embark on a journey to Mexico without leaving the comfort of Leiden.
The workshop lasts 12 hours and is designed for both beginners and those with prior weaving knowledge. It will be taught in English/ Spanish.
The content of the workshop includes
- Historical context of Amuzgo culture
- Tools and materials used in backstrap weaving
- Setting up the loom
- Plain weaving and additional weft weaving on the backstrap loom
Included materials
- Raw and naturally dyed cotton threads
- Backstrap loom
- Bones
- Symbol sample fabric
About TuYo Foundation
TuYo Foundation was created in 2021 (Amsterdam, Netherlands) by a team of artists and artisans aiming to preserve, rescue and promote ancestral textile techniques while supporting local communities with socially and environmentally responsible practices. TuYo’s pilot project is taking place in Xochistlahuaca (Guerrero, Mexico) together with members of a local indigenous community, named Amuzgo. During this project, there is an assessment of the needs and the issues presented by the weavers and step-by-step solutions are carefully implemented. TuYo aims for a future where textile-dependent communities can prosper with fair wages, and security while preserving their identity and breaking free from stereotypes about indigenous life.
About Amuzgo Culture
In a remote village of the state of Guerrero (México), there is an indigenous group named Amuzgo or Amochco, known for its textile heritage. Weaving in this region has been a women’s role and oral transmission has kept this practise alive from one generation to another, playing crucial roles in the social, spiritual and economic lives of the members of this community. Weaving a piece can take up weeks, months or even a year to be completed, making each creation a unique story of its maker. Amuzgo weaves are complex representations in geometric motifs of the fauna, flora, ethnicity, beliefs and personal narratives of the ancestors. This valuable craft ensures cultural continuity, ritual exchange and strengthens community ties.
About Gabina Valentín López & Inês Queirós
Gabina Valentín López is an Amuzgo weaver from Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero, on the Costa Chica of México. From the age of nine, she started weaving and learning the traditional symbology of her indigenous community, side by side with her family elders. Forced to migrate to the urban areas of Mexico City, weaving became for some years a night activity to keep practising her knowledge and feel closer to her roots. With her passion and strength, Gabina dedicates her life to preserving and maintaining her textile culture. She travels around México to sell the work of the Amuzgo weavers, safeguarding their ability to gain independence as women while keeping their culture alive.
Inês Queirós is a Portuguese textile artist and researcher based in Amsterdam, who is dedicated to preserving the endangered textile cultures and the unique multicultural manifestations of the ethnosphere. As the founder of TuYo Foundation and with her knowledge of natural dyeing methods/weaving techniques, she tries to motivate communities to restore ancestral textile practices while exploring new possibilities. She approaches textiles as a physical vehicle for storytelling, social encounters and a powerful tool for women’s emancipation. She will be the translator and facilitator of the masterclasses taught by Gabina Valentín Lopez.
Information
Location: Weaving Worlds, Pieter Vlaminstraat 5, Amsterdam
Data: 19 & 20 juli | 10.00 - 16.00 hrs.
Costs: 250,-