Esther Martinez Mendoza

A few of our weavers have chosen a slightly different path than the traditional marriage and children. Esther lives with her two brothers, one of whom is disabled, in the house where they all were born and grew up. It is one of the oldest in Teotitlan, near the center of town, and doubles as a small store. Esther and her brother Adrian take turns tending the store, which sees a lot of traffic due to its central location near the municipal rug market and the village Catholic Church. The house was built by their great, great grandparents, and passed down from one generation to the next as most of the village houses are.

Esther is very soft spoken, and tends to let others speak for her. But from her facial expressions you know that she is very much a part of the conversation, and she frequently adds a few words and a laugh. She began weaving at age 8 or 9, and she attended school until about that time which was typical for girls in the village.  Adrian continued on through junior high school, and he began playing various instruments in primary school. He is now the village band leader, and is patiently looking for an alto saxophone to be donated to his band.

Unlike her brother, who has traveled throughout Mexico with the band playing for the famous village dance troop, Esther has rarely left the village. She says she is getting older, and with her work running the store she doesn’t have as much time to weave – only when she receives orders. She’s really pleased, however, that her gorgeous designs are in demand with the Manos Zapotecas customers, and she plans to use the extra money she is making to buy more materials for a growing business.