Amelia Ruiz Gonzalez & Manuel Vasquez Ruiz

Amelia certainly doesn’t look like she just had a baby. She’s small and thin like her husband, but their new baby, Jesus Manuel Vasquez Ruiz, is definitely well loved by the extended family in which he lives. His first last name, Vasquez, is from his father, and his second last name, Ruiz, is from his mother. The baby has an older sister age 7, and they all live with Manuel’s step-mother and father. Women in Teotitlan traditionally move to their husband’s home when they marry.

The couple actually met in Tijuana, where Manuel’s family lived for 15 years before moving back to Teotitlan. Amelia went to Tijuana at age 15 from Teotitlan in order to work at an artisan shop with one of her cousins. Manuel was living in the apartment above them. All of them moved back to Teotitlan a few years later.

Amelia learned to weave at age 13, and Manuel took an interest after he had been married awhile to Amelia. But now it’s Manuel who does most of the weaving, along with his father. Amelia says she doesn’t have much time these days with all the baby care and housework. They pride themselves on their unusual designs, and their favorite part of the weaving process is combining the colors.