María López López was born in Chamula and moved to San Cristóbal de las Casas when she was just 1 years old. In the 1970's, many of the people who converted from Catholicism to various evangelical religions were forced to leave their communities: approximately 45,000 people from various municipalities settled in areas around San Cristóbal de las Casas forming new colonies.

Chamula women traditionally made rag dolls. They began making Zapatista dolls with horses in the early 1990's and also made stuffed animals from the heavy wool tunics that men wear in Chamula, known as the chuj. The tunics are made in black and white or wool or natural color. The animals are assembled and then stuffed with fiber; some are embroidered. María López López has five children and she is
passing on her knowledge to the next generation.

In the early 2000's, María learned new patterns from a friend and began making ornamental and fun animals. All are embroidered with acrylic thread in bright colors, the animals' manes and tails are very bushy and long. They are sold in very few stores and can easily be recognized as María's work because of their quality and design, totally different from most of the animals found for sale in the Santo Domingo market. She makes three sizes: the smallest ones are approximately 4 to 6 inches; the medium ones about 20 centimeters and the large ones can reach 28 centimeters.

Calle Galilea 29, Nueva Esperanza
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas
967 124 4916 Whatsapp