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17.
May
2016.
WEAVING TOURS REVITALISE LOCAL CRAFT AND GIVE BACK TO MEXICAN COMMUNITIES

PRESS RELEASE

May 2016

WEAVING TOURS REVITALISE LOCAL CRAFT AND GIVE BACK TO INDIGENOUS MEXICAN COMMUNITIES

Palmira Serra, a native Mexican who now lives in Cheltenham, has created a fantastic way of giving back to the Mexican communities that she grew up in by organising weaving tours that also highlight the importance of this craft-making tradition.

 

Palmira, 48, who studied textiles and design in Mexico City as a young woman, was so attracted to the many indigenous styles of her home country that she has created a series of tours to allow others to appreciate the culture. Palmira has set up Weaving the World so that she can introduce people to the traditional Mexican weaving techniques and at the same time provide direct income to the weavers themselves.

 

Palmira is a huge advocate of the Mexican crafting and weaving traditions, and is keen to bring attention to the weaving industry, along with many other artisanal crafts, which is currently in decline. Palmira has created Weaving the World, which runs tours for people to visit Teotitlan del Valle, located just outside of Oaxaca City, and learn about the weaving industry.

 

Palmira says: ‘Teotitlan is one of several villages in the area where weaving forms an integral part of the livelihood of its few thousand residents. The local weavers were no match for industrialised weaving methods and cheap imports, and there was little appreciation of the time and skill that went into weaving using the time honoured methods of the region. Some local weavers moved over to using chemical dyes or less labour intensive methods of production, many simply abandoned their roots and moved to the city in search of work. There was a real danger that these age old techniques were going to disappear altogether.'

 

A recent visit back prompted her to set up weaving tours, which she operates from her home in Cheltenham. She says: ‘When visiting its workshops I was immediately struck by the gentle earnestness of the Zapotec weavers describing skills that have been part of their heritage for over 2000 years. However, recent years have seen major changes in how the outside world regards indigenous skills that have often been preserved by their populations over many centuries. I want to help regrow an appreciation of the true artistic value of these painstaking techniques by inviting people to come on one of my specially designed tours.'

 

Palmira's Weaving the World tours are based on the principles of Fairtrade. She says: ‘Thankfully fairtrade is starting to be applied and local craftspeople are now able to earn their livelihood carrying on employing their native skills.'

 

Weaving the World offers a ten day textile and cultural tour of the area of Oaxaca in small groups accompanied by Palmira with all accommodation and transport included.

Palmira is delighted by what is on offer: ‘At the heart of the tour is a four day intensive course in all the techniques of dyeing, spinning and weaving used by the Zapotec people. It's a unique opportunity to meet, interact and learn from people you might only otherwise see only briefly on the other side of a market stall. Each participant will learn about the natural dyeing methods and produce their own textile on a hand loom. There are even walks in the local countryside to gather the various plants used in dyeing.'

 

In addition to the weaving course, the ten days include visits to other villages to see the various handicrafts of the region which have likewise seen a renaissance in the last few years. Palmira adds: ‘There are visits to some of the magnificent Zapotec archaeological sites, numerous museums, including the textile museum of Oaxaca, and some of the indigenous markets where locals come to sells the products of their labours. There is even a day's course in Oaxacan cuisine where participants can learn about local ingredients and cook a typical meal.'

 

‘Weaving the World is very much an opportunity to see how things really are from the inside. My aim is to create a tour that people will truly experience and haverealcontact with a culture that has maintained its values over innumerable generations and come through intact. What's more those on tour will have contributed in a very real way to ensuring that these traditions can continue in a sustainable manner for generations to come.'

 

Weaving the World's next tour takes place on12 - 23 Aug 2016 and Palmira is taking bookings now.

 

-Ends-

 

For more information on Weaving the World, please visit their website atwww.weavingtheworld.co.uk


For an interview, images, or more information please contact
claire@garfunkelcommunications.co.uk/ 07734 702653