I absolutely L<3VE street art. Always have, always will. It adds beauty and interest to every neighborhoods lucky enough to have it. It is no coincidence then that some of my favorite places in the world are public canvases people happen to live on or around.

Oaxaca and Teotitlan more than satisfy my penchant for public art. Street art, both professional and gorilla, is everywhere. I find myself constantly stopping to snap pictures of the amazing murals I pass by. When visiting our weavers in Teotitlan, I stay in the city of Oaxaca and walk everywhere! On our last trip, I literally walked a hole in a brand new pair of shoes, and, let me tell you, finding a size 9 women’s shoe in southern Mexico is an adventure in itself – but I digress.

What really interests me about the street art in this part of the world is it is often used to teach a lesson or convey a social message of some sort. For instance, this mural on the main street through Teotitlan says that girls and boys have the right to an equal life.

This mural is fairly self-explanatory and says, “The solution is in your hands, prevent contamination.” A very important message in a community still using the small stream running through town for washing clothes and watering animals and gardens.

Other murals in town warn against domestic violence and tuberculosis (still a problem in rural Mexico). I really admire the use of public art as a tool for teaching.

Some are more poetic but still encourage you to think. This is one of my favorites. The text translates roughly as:

“I guard in tact

the memory of this moment

that all that exists

right now

never

will return the same”

The painting featured in this mural is super strange, and I love it! There is nothing better than street art that literally makes you stop in your tracks to admire and think. This mural forces me to stop and contemplate it every time I pass it by.

And when lessons and philosophical musings are just not enough for me, there is always plenty of street art that is simply beautiful, interesting, and, in its own unique, Mexican way, crazy hip.

Here are two of my very favorites from Oaxaca and Teotitlan respectively. I freely admit I often choose my path through these towns so that I may pass these beautiful pieces. They make me smile. And that is the second best thing a piece of street art can do.

Oaxaca has my heart. It attacks all my senses. The juxtaposition of colonial architecture and modern street murals is one of the most aesthetically pleasing aspects of this amazing place. I am constantly grateful for the opportunity to spend time in this intriguing and beautiful land.

Okay, so I love animals. Well, no surprise. Any human with a soul has an affinity for some other species. Maybe you aren’t a “dog person” or a “cat person,” but I’m sure you dig something – maybe even just pictures of said life form.

In Teotitlan, animals are everywhere. And not just your dogs and cats, though they make a strong appearance. People in Teotitlan still actively raise livestock, and leash laws don’t exist. It’s likely that every home we visit has some sort of animal boarders, and they make me happy! I love walking into Crispina’s and visiting with her orange-stomached squirrel for a few minutes, and I have trouble keeping my mind on business as Aquilina’s inquisitive chicken struts inside to check out what visitors have come calling. To that end, I would like to make you smile too. Here are some of my favorite pictures I’ve captured of our weavers “extended” families. Enjoy. ☺

- Liz Moffett

Founding a fair trade business has been the most exciting and most challenging experience of all my 63 years on this planet. In addition to the myriad of tasks involved in managing all the marketing and production aspects of the business (where our small but powerful staff do their amazing magic), I’m also responsible for financial success and cash flow making sure the weavers, staff, and bills get paid!

Last night, I went to a meeting in Los Angeles led by an organization called the Pipeline fellows (pipelinefellowship.com). Their mission is to train women philanthropists to become “angel” investors for businesses like ours – socially responsible, women-owned businesses. They talked about how women have always been great at non-profit philanthropic giving, but, as soon as the words “for profit” or “investment” come up, suddenly it’s a man’s world still in 2013! They also talked about how women-owned businesses tend to shy away from pitching for investments whereas male entrepreneurs generally have no problem putting their start-ups out for investment bids.

Pipeline seeks to change all this by training women on how to become smart investors in businesses, like ours, that have a great social impact in areas like poverty and the environment. At the same time, Pipeline encourages women entrepreneurs to work on successful business planning and make a successful pitch for “early stage” funding. The Pipeline founder looked directly at me and said, “We expect to see you at our next pitch forum.”

Ok, I get the message, and how awesome that the world is moving in such a great direction!

- Shelley Tennyson, Founder of Manos Zapotecas

Saint Paco

I like to refer to Paco (our point man in Teotitlan who coordinates orders/shipping) as Saint Paco. He just does so much behind the scenes for Manos Zapotecas. If not for him, it would be almost impossible for us to do what we do!

For example, we have a customer who wants one of our weavers to copy this turtle logo from her business card to use for bags and pillow covers – an exclusive design. In addition, she wants only all natural dyes. Awesome! I immediately thought of Weaver Lupita who does the most beautiful work with only all natural dyes. She is a widow and constantly struggles to support her three sons. She has no phone, so Paco must walk blocks up a steep hill to the outskirts of the village to her house. Of course, he is willing to do so because he wants to ensure our weaving group shares in the business and Manos Zapotecas customers are satisfied.

Hats off to you Saint Paco. We truly couldn’t do it without you.

- Shelley Tennyson, Founder of Manos Zapotecas

Oh Mexico, how I have missed you!

Five years ago, I could not have imagined ever truly missing a country so much.  As an avid traveler, I had traversed the globe and was enticed by the more exotic locales such as Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, and Bolivia.  I had even lived in Honduras and Malawi.  So, when the idea of going to Latin America arose, I pleaded for it to be a trip to Venezuela or Colombia -  not Mexico.

Fortuitously I landed in Mexico because when it came time to buy our plane tickets for Cuba, my friend, Jessica, decided going to Cuba made her a tad nervous.  “So, why not Mexico?” she proposed.  Well, we could visit our friendo, Tenoch, in Mexico City, so I succumbed, and gracias a dios I did.

Little did I know I would fall head-over-heels in love with this country and change my two-week trip into a 3-month trip only to return the following year to work at a human rights center.

What was it about Mexico that seduced me so?  The sexy men?  The delicious food?  The fact that every city and town I visited was strikingly beautiful?  The warm, incredibly gracious people?  The rich history or the large indigenous populations?  It was ALL of these and more.

Today, I find myself working for Manos Zapotecas, a fair trade, weaving company that is improving the lives of its artisans while enabling them to create their stunning products for so many of us to enjoy. Whether it is a hip purse or a gorgeous rug, we are lucky to have so many options, and I am lucky to have my love affair with Mexico rekindled.  I haven’t physically returned to Mexico yet, but I am already there in my heart.

- Icia Delgado, Operations Manager

Help us welcome the newest member to the MZ Team: Icia Delgado

Icia Delgado met Shelley Tennyson, the founder of Manos Zapotecas, while working for a non-profit in Trujillo, Peru. Both shared a passion for the culture, language, and people of Latin America. Before Peru, Icia lived in Mexico where she worked with street kids as well as a human rights center. Following Peru, she served in the Peace Corps in Nicaragua for more than two years. Back in her native California, she was thrilled to reconnect with Shelley and find a meaningful way to contribute to a culture that left such an indelible impression in her heart. Icia’s passion for service and conscious consumerism is a perfect blend for the ethos of the Manos Zapotecas brand: a fair trade company fostering the livelihoods of countless artisans and preserving a venerable tradition.

Our first few days in Mexico…

It’s been a bit exhausting. The all night flight is always a pain, but it went well since Liz was with me. She’s always so funny it keeps me laughing. The first day we slept in then walked around downtown Oaxaca. We found a great artisan shop with some great new products that combine cotton weaving with a touch of traditional. Yesterday we went to Teotitlan, and the weavers literallly ran out of their houses to greet us as we walked around. We felt really popular!

We talked about how we are mostly selling bags and need new ideas and leather sources. Everyone is just so eager! Rocio has a few new designs, and she is making new clutches with leather wristlets, and Marcos is making new zigzag pillow covers. By the end of the day, we were super exhausted and had dinner at a rooftop pizza place where we watched the moon rise over Santo Domingo, the most beautiful church here.

We’re moving into a new level and a good one. I just hope I can keep up!

Manos Zapotecas Artisans often use natural dyeing methods to dye their yarn. Pomegranates play a major role in this natural dyeing process, but can you guess what color of yarn they produce?

Pomegranates were introduced into Latin America in 1769 by Spanish settlers. They have been used for dyeing fiber for hundreds of years.

Surprisingly, pomegranates do not create any shade of red. The fruit and seeds of the fruit are not used. The peel is used, either dried or fresh, and creates varying shades of yellow. The process involves simmering the peels in hot water until all of the dyeing substance is extracted. Yarn is then dipped into the extraction and allowed to absorb the dye.

Natural dyeing is an ancient art and each weaver has special recipes and processes they use when dyeing yarn. We are proud that so many of the items our weavers make are true to the cultural and artisan heritage of Teotitlan del Valle.

Our wonderful weavers in Teotitlan del Valle often still employ 100 percent natural dyeing techniques by using a myriad of items to create beautiful dyes. Traditionally, women were the spinners and dyers of wool, and the men wove, but, today, all aspects of the process are shared between men and women.