Teotitlán del Valle

Introducing Teotitlán del Valle

This famous weaving village is 4km north of Hwy 190, about 25km from Oaxaca. The weaving tradition here goes back to pre-Hispanic times: Teotitlán had to pay tributes of cloth to the Aztecs. Quality today is high, and traditional dyes made from cochineal, indigo and moss have been revived. The variety of designs is enormous – from Zapotec gods and Mitla-style geometric patterns to contemporary imitations of paintings by Rivera and Picasso.

Blankets and rugs wave at you from many houses and showrooms along the village streets. From Av Juárez (the street along which you enter Teotitlán from the highway), signs point to the central Mercado de Artesanías, where yet more are on sale. Around 150 Teotitlán families specialize in weaving; many of their showrooms are workshops too, and the weavers are usually happy to demonstrate their techniques and their methods of obtaining natural dyes.

Facing the Mercado de Artesanías on the central plaza is the Museo Comunitario Balaa Xtee Guech Gulal (524-44-63; admission M$10; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun), with local archaeological finds and displays on local crafts and traditions (in English as well as Spanish and Zapotec). Here, with a day’s notice, you can organize a guided walk up Cerro de Picacho, a sacred hill just outside the village, for M$10 per person. From the plaza, steps rise to a fine broad churchyard with the handsome 17th-century Templo de la Virgen de la Natividad (6am-6pm) in one corner. The church’s altar area and transept are adorned with colorful 18th-century frescos. It was built atop a Zapotec ceremonial site, many of whose carved stones can be seen in the church walls; look especially in the inner patio.

English-speaking Roque Antonio Santiago of Oaxaca Birding Tours (524-43-71; www.mexonline.com/oaxacabirdingtours.htm; Cuauhtémoc 5) leads highly recommended bird-watching outings in the Valles Centrales, the nearby Sierra Norte cloud forests and beyond. A surprising number of species can be seen in the environs of Teotitlán alone. A day’s outing costs around M$750 per person.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009