Sebastiana Guzmán Hernández was born in Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca and studied her basic and higher education here. At age 15, she was interested in the art of weaving using the back-strap loom, because she observed her relatives practicing the art. She liked very much the tonalities of the thread and what could be done with it, so at age 17, she started to knit napkins in different designs, figures and colors. It wasn’t long before she improved her work and started to weave huipiles.

She learned to weave enredos (nahua or pozahuanco) (techniques involved knotting). She was excited because she had already mastered the different ways of knitting and, above all, she learned how to weave ancient designs — it was a way of preserving her identity. With effort and a lot of dedication, she wove to pay for her higher education in a technical career in clothing design and creation. It was in this way that she acquired the knowledge how to create and innovate.

In 2007, she had her first contact with Aripo, an institution that promotes the work of Oaxacan artisans. In 2008, she was invited to participate in an event and sell her work. It was in this event, where she exhibited her work made of natural dyes such as: purpura (a snail yielding purple dye), indigo, silk, grana cochineal (red dye from insects living on cactus) and cotton coyuche (a natural cotton).

She later began participating in different regional, state and national competitions. In 2010, she won third place in the concurso (judged art show) Gran Premio de Arte Popular. In 2012, she won first place in the same show. She has won other awards since that time for her inventive and unique designs.

Hidalgo SN,

Barrio Grande, Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca

954 154 82 71 cell

jicaralabrada17@gmail.com