Ludivina Vazquez Guiterrez & Faustino

When you enter the multi-family home of Ludi and Fausto, and begin looking at their woven creations, you sense immediately that there is something special here. Though both are very soft spoken like so many of the Zapotec people, their weavings speak for them. Years and years of experience, and a desire to create “something different,” has given their rugs and bags a unique quality of design and color that definitely stands out. The colors especially, almost all from natural vegetable dyes, are combined exquisitely into each work of art.

With three families living together, all related, there is never any lack of activity in the central courtyard. Often you will see someone preparing the cornmeal flour on the grinding stone (metate).  Someone else might be grinding indigo dye on another metate, while someone else is playing with a baby.  They are all relatives of Faustino, living in the home where he was born.  Like most women in Teotitlan, Ludivina moved into Faustino’s home when they were married. They now have two almost grown sons, ages 20 and 17. The oldest is studying Marine Biology at a nearby university (they take trips to the ocean which is six hours away), and he also weaves to help pay for his university fees. The younger son also hopes to go to university.

When asked what they do for fun, their answer is like most other village people. They pretty much work all the time, but the many fiesta days are their time to relax and enjoy their extended families.