Adelaida Salas Salas learned to spin and weave from her mother. She continues to weave because it is the tradition of her community and allows her to bring income to the household so that her children can attend school and the family can pay for medicine if necessary. She is the sole economic support for her children and her mother. The greatest satisfaction of her work is that she has been able to share her culture and work with people from different parts of the world, thus increasing the value of her work.

Weaving has always been in Adelaida's family: generations after generations of grandmothers have taught her to use the backstrap loom, a fixture in the Sierra de Zongolica. This community is one of the few that still uses the traditional process of spinning and weaving in virgin wool from locally raised sheep, and is also the community that works with the largest number of designs and weaving techniques (7 different techniques).

Cooperativa Cihuamechihkeh was formed in 2003 by Rafaela Salas, an indigenous Nahua weaver from Tlaquilpa, Veracruz.  A group of 12 women, they share the work of making shawls, scarves, backpacks, tlalpiales (hair ornaments), quechquémitls (a garment worn by the women) and woollen animals - spinning, preparing the wool, using natural dyes, weaving, etc. Each woman knows each process.  Their aim is to generate income for women in the region and their families through the manufacture of textiles woven into the back strap.

Their achievements include: Participating in the management and consolidation of several regional and national cultural projects in collaboration with students from several Mexican universities. The most outstanding is: Founding and realisation of the Regional Festival of Textile Arts of the Sierra de Zongolica (2016, 2017 and 2018).

Collaboration in the book "Tejedoras de esperanza. Empowerment in the artisan groups of the Sierra de Zongolica. "by Miguel Sosme, which won four awards.

Collaboration in the documentary "Tlakimilolli: Voices of the loom", the first short film on textile knowledge filmed in Nahuatl with subtitles in Spanish and English. In addition to this, there are several exhibitions.

Cultural activities in Mexico City, Xalapa, Monterrey, Veracruz, Oaxaca and Barcelona, Spain.

Miguel Angel Sosme Campos (lecturer)

Calle El Calvario SN Col. Centro  

Zongolica Tlaquilpa, Veracruz 

Miguel Sosme Campos-student wkg with them

228 145 5036

miguelangelsosme@hotmail.com  

@sosmecampos   instagram