San Miguel Tequixtepec

Last Monday Natalie and I had our first excursion to the small pueblo community San Miguel Tequixtepec, which lies three hours north of Oaxaca. We were sent to Tequixtepec to investigate the palm weaving process, which has been a popular artisan tradition for many generations. The majority of the members of this community weave sombreros, which for many years was a decent source of income. However, today women generally weave sombreros and other craft forms (see photo on left) as a supplementary form of income. The women´s group I interviewed on Monday meets weekly to complete special orders. However, more importantly weaving gives them a break from their family and home responsibilities, as well as an opportunity to socialize.

The weaving process, depending on the specific craft one chooses to make, takes days. Generally women gather palma or purchase palmitas (pieces of palma used for weaving) at the local market. Palma must be dried prior to weaving. This process can take up to eight days. Afterwards, artisans prepare the palma by dividing each part into equal pieces. Once this task has been completed, the weaving process can begin. It was amazing to watch the women work because they don´t look at their hands as they weave, yet their products are extremely well constructed and very ornate, which you can see from the above photo.

In terms of my museum work, it is hard to say if our photos from this pueblo will be incorporated into the museum exhibit. We had a miscommunication last week with Cuahtémoc, our coordinator, about the types of pictures we would be taking. One of the challenges I´ve experienced with my project has been trying to understand the vision of the anthropologists who are coordinating this exhibition. While we meet regularly to discuss the progress of our work, it seems communication is lacking in some areas, which has made it particularly difficult to accomplish interviews and picture taking when community members are unaware of what we need. Although we have had a few minor bumps in the road, I feel I have really benefitted from this experience because I´ve learned how to apply my training in anthropology to a real situation. I´m sure my description is a little vague right now. But I look forward to sharing more about my project once it has all come together.