Guya' Guew: River dancer

Size: 61x75cm 24x29.5 in 

Master weaver: Dr. Samuel Bautista Lazo

Price: $90,000 MXN pesos.

Materials and methods: criollo sheep wool hand dyed by Samuel Bautista Lazo using natural dyes: Beè (Dactylopius coccus Costa) for shades of red, magenta and pink, Xiuhquilitl (indigofera suffruticosa) for blues, Pomegranate and Cempasuchitl for yellows, natural black wool and anilie dyes for the bright colors. Handwoven on a Zapotec style loom of the 16th century adapted from European styles. Woven using a 7 threads per inch reed and wool rayon blend for warp. 

Design, patterns and symbols.

I started to weave this rug in the early days of December 2024 and finished it on the last week of August 2025; it was literally a gestation period of 9 months. In line with the main proposition of my PhD thesis I used all the scrap yarns from previous projects and upcycled them into a design pattern that blended them in a harmonious way. On the right side of the rug I wove the river pattern that allowed me to blend and use all the different shades of red hues laying around and by doing so I kept the design as simple as possible. On the other side, we have the figure of a blue person dancing and flowing through life in a harmonius way; this person's head has the Macuixochitl figure (the five petal flower) that teaches us to seek balance and beauty in everything that we do. The left side is my nawal dancing as a form of prayer, excersice and spiritual connection to water. Inspired by Tom Robbins

"Water- the ace of elements. Water dives from the clouds without parachute, wings or safety net. Water runs over the steepest precipice and blinks not a lash. Water is buried and rises again; water walks on fire and fire gets the blisters".  

Water has always been my element and dancing my medicine. I was known as the "Mexican Michael Jackson" or "the crazy Mexican" around the dance clubs of Liverpool. When my friend Wakar from Pakistan and my friend Taolo from Botswane would jump on the dance floor together, we would often set the dance floor on fire and start a party right there. But my favourite type of dancing is very primordial and raw, dancing around a trench fire in the many skills gathering where I teach, wearing a hide if possible and invoking the elements and spirits of the land! Many friendships, gifts and hugs have been exchanged after a good round of dancing, and I swear that when I dance I only need four hours of sleep before I get up to do farm chores. 

On this rug, I started my rug with a smile pattern and ended it with a smile pattern that transitions into river and rain patterns. Weaving for me is also an act of prayer, I often weave the rain pattern to pray for rain or to celebrate the rain falling upon our lands. Being connected to the land also means being connected to the cosmic cycles of the galaxy and the planet in a way that makes us understand the bigger patterns of our planet as it goes around the precession of the equinox. We are in the year 5,147/5,200 of the fith sun and the year 25, 947/26,000 years of the precesion of the equinox, our elders warned us of this hard times to come at the end of the fith sun, wars, drought and political unrest as the world experiences chimate chaos and intensification. It is a time to be emotionally grounded and stable, to be rooted in the land with the earthskills that sustain and regenerate life but it is also a time to dream more bravely to imagine a more harmonious future for all and thus the important of dancing as a form of collective prayer. Our technology is so feble, it will only take a few hurricanes and a solar storm to bring down the entire electrical grid and all the comforts brought with it. Our reliance of fossil fuels brings more division, competition and a scarcity paradigm among our countries, our leaders sucumb to the temptations of easy money and power and we are left with a corrupt system that benefits a few and oppresses the majorities. A lot of the big world problems could be solved if we could only change the story that we believe to our chore, and that can take one breath, one breath and we can redefine what an economic and political system we choose to live in, that is the power of intent, the power of the Nawal way of perceiving the world and reimaginging it. 

The Viking runes came to the design in new years when two strangers came to visit our workshop and left there as good friends and sisters; having completed a run across the Jaguar paths in Oaxaca, these friends came over to visit and we exchanged stories and teachings, one of them was learning to read the runes and the ones that I picked were: Kenaz, Tiwaz and Wunio that symbolize fire, light and knowledge; justice and bravery; community and joy, which is exactly what I needed to hear at that time and still holds true to this day. Weaving these runes on the rug has become my amulete and protection and the energy imprint will acompany the holder of this sacred altar rug.  

Customize fringes.

Twisted: traditional zapotec look, sturdy. Drapes well for hanging.

Bundled: boho look; secured and soft.

Tucked in: secured and tidy. Looks neat for hanging and easy vacuuming on the floor. (Allow two days for processing).