Chiapas Textile Tour, February 2024 -- In-depth, intimate, and memorable
Oaxaca Cultural Navigator的点评
点评:I just completed my third textile tour (to Chiapas) with Norma Schafer and Oaxaca Cultural Navigator. In fact, I would not even call it a tour. All of Norma’s trips are intimate and deeply personal experiences. Norma has lived part-time in Teotitlan del Valle (Oaxaca) for years. She is incredibly knowledgeable about textiles and other Mexican artisan traditions, has an abiding love for and appreciation of Mexico’s indigenous cultures, and personally knows all of the incredibly talented artisans and their families we visited. And Eric Chavez, her partner, is a well-known Teotitlan weaver from an equally well-known family of weavers and natural dyers. His experience and extensive knowledge about the weaving traditions and techniques of each community perfectly balanced Norma’s insights.
Each day, our small group visited different communities in the mountains surrounding San Cristobal where we were based. We met with award-winning artisans who demonstrated their weaving and dying practices, shared with us their beautiful creations, and explained how their designs and symbols represent the cosmos, the natural world, and their spiritual beliefs. Many welcomed us into their homes and shared a modest home-cooked meal. We also met a weaver whose creativity and modern adaptations of traditional designs have won him much acclaim in Mexico, as well as in the New York fashion world. In addition, we visited local markets and churches, including the very famous church in Chamula, and had memorable meals in San Cristobal, including one at a restaurant owned by an award-winning “Iron Chef” from Chiapas. It was truly an unforgettable trip thanks to Norma, Eric, and our fabulous local guide, Gaby Yaz. I returned home with an even deeper appreciation for the unique history and natural beauty of Chiapas, as well as the variety, artistry, and technical virtuosity of its weavers -- not to mention the new friends I made during our all-too-short week together.
翻译:我刚刚与诺玛·谢弗和瓦哈卡文化导航员完成了我的第三次纺织之旅(恰帕斯州)。事实上,我什至不认为这是一次旅行。诺玛的所有旅行都是亲密且深刻的个人经历。诺玛多年来一直在特奥蒂特兰德尔瓦莱(瓦哈卡州)兼职居住。她对纺织品和其他墨西哥工匠传统非常了解,对墨西哥本土文化有着持久的热爱和欣赏,并且亲自认识我们拜访的所有才华横溢的工匠及其家人。她的伴侣埃里克·查韦斯 (Eric Chavez) 是一位著名的特奥蒂特兰织布工,来自同样著名的织布工和天然染色工家族。他的经验和对每个社区的编织传统和技术的广泛了解完美地平衡了诺玛的见解。
每天,我们的小组都会参观我们所在的圣克里斯托瓦尔周围山区的不同社区。我们会见了屡获殊荣的工匠,他们展示了他们的编织和染色实践,与我们分享了他们美丽的创作,并解释了他们的设计和符号如何代表宇宙、自然世界和他们的精神信仰。许多人欢迎我们来到他们的家中,并分享了一顿简单的家常饭菜。我们还见到了一位织布工,他的创造力和对传统设计的现代改造为他在墨西哥以及纽约时尚界赢得了广泛赞誉。此外,我们还参观了当地的市场和教堂,包括查穆拉非常著名的教堂,并在圣克里斯托瓦尔吃了一顿难忘的饭菜,其中包括在恰帕斯州屡获殊荣的“铁人厨师”开的餐厅享用的一顿饭。感谢 Norma、Eric 和我们出色的当地导游 Gaby Yaz,这确实是一次难忘的旅行。回到家后,我对恰帕斯州独特的历史和自然美景,以及织工的多样性、艺术性和精湛技术有了更深刻的欣赏——更不用说我在短暂的一周里结识的新朋友了一起。