THE ARTISANS
LUDIVINA & FAUSTINO | WEAVERS | TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE
Ludivina & Faustino are master weavers in TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE. I met Ludivina on my second visit to Oaxaca, and coincidently on my second artisan tour with Fundación En Vía. Ludivina is supported by En Vía programing, and receives interest-free loans to help operate the family weaving business. The work produced in the taller of Ludivina and Faustino is visually stunning. Each wool tapete (rug) off their hand-operated standing looms is naturally dyed with plants harvested in the region. The scarlet dye used in many of their designs for AUGUST ETTA is achieved by harvesting cochineal from cacti in the genus Oputia, which produces carmine resulting in striking color variations–seen below in the far left photo. The estrella patterned tapete (top middle) is a wonderful example of cochineals color range, which is determined with the addition of either an acid or base to its natural state.
Attention to every detail in the artistry produced by Ludivina and Faustino attests to the over forty years of combined expertise between this husband and wife team. AUGUST ETTA has a few of their woven beauties available now online, and more to come in the future: The Cochineal Color Block/Stripe Tapete | The Understated Multi Grey/Ocher Wool Tapete | The Understated Black/Ocher Wool Tapete. A few photos from Ludivina and Faustino's taller...
COMMUNITY: TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE is located in the foothills of the Sierra Juarez mountains in the Valles Centrales (Central Valleys) region of Oaxaca. It is one of the oldest Zapotec villages in the region where the Zapotec language and culture is still a mainstay of community life. The village is well known for its textiles, especially rugs, which are woven on hand-operated standing looms. The highly skilled traditions in weaving date back to 500 B.C.E. and are passed down from generation to generation.