Meet Eduardo, the Zapotec Weaver

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By: Miguel Hernandez

(Listen to the audio in Spanish and Mixteco, variant from Guadalupe Nundaca)

From the valleys of Teotitlán del Valle to the Ventura Museum. Textile artist Eduardo Jiménez honors his family, his culture, and the country where he grew up by presenting his art on the walls of the Ventura County Museum. The event took place on July 14 and featured over 50 different works of art showcasing the work of the talented weaver. Rugs depicting generations of knowledge and narratives within the designs hung on the walls, leaving community members in awe of his creations. 

In special attendance was Jiménez’s mother, Guillermina Lazo de Jiménez, to whom Eduardo attributes his knowledge and talent in weaving. In an interview with Guillermina, she shared, 

“I learned from the age of eight to make rugs. We started learning with chairs as children. Previously, our ancestors did not paint the thread; it was natural. Time evolved, and they discovered that they could use plants to bring out natural colors. Like cochineal. The designs were drawings of their ancestors and their ancestors.” 

Eduardo Jiménez, the youngest of three brothers, surprised his entire family when he decided to adopt the tradition of weaving and be the one to continue the tradition against his older brother, who everyone thought would be the one to do it. 

The event brought more than 50 community members to the space where Jiménez gave a presentation about the rigorous and complex process of the art of weaving. It also gave the members present the rare opportunity to weave their own sample rug using Jiménez’s lessons. 

Jiménez and his family expressed gratitude for the art of weaving, which has given them life in this country and kept their family together for decades. 

Eduardo also offered a few words about the event and shared: 

“The event showcased all the wonderful work we have been doing with MICOP, not just with me as an artist individually, but with all the workshops we have been doing with the community.”

Eduardo then reflected on how grateful he was for the event that allowed him to showcase his work and his family’s talents. He mentioned how he started weaving at just six years old, and now, at 27, he still feels there is so much more he needs to learn about his culture and knowledge of weaving. 

A powerful message that Eduardo shared about how society views his artwork is that as a businessman, he realizes that people within his own Latino community do not value his work and always consider it too expensive without understanding the work that goes behind each unique piece. Eduardo believes this symbolizes how our community values ​​art in our own culture and says that we must “re-indigenize the way we think and value what comes from our culture.”

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