Duuv chiru biguiídi: Agave and moth

Size: 130x200cm

Weaver: Omar Mendoza

Materials ans methods: criollo sheep wool hand dyed with colorfast aniline dyes using an exhaustive method. Handwoven on a Zapotec style loom of the 16th century adapted from European styles. Woven using a 7 threads per inch reed. 

Design patterns and symbols. 

The spiked pattern emerging from the white background is referred to as ru'ùrduuv, the agave pattern, that honours the agave plant as a sacred plant that provides the most gifts for humanity. From the agave we get ixtle for textiles,agave syrup for food and Niis Duuvbadau (Mezcal) for ceremonial drinks. There is a type of moth that lays eggs that hatch like a red worm that feeds from the heart of the agaves, instead of using pesticides against this plague our local enthomofagy culture considers the agave worm a delicacy for our cuisine and since the 1940s was added to Mezcal bottles to impart a characteristic flavor but more as a marketing gimmick than to sell mezcal to tourists. Moths represent the wisdom that is brought with the night, with darkness and the world of dreaming. In our culture we believe that the spirit of our relatives visit us in the form of moth in our homes. The moth pattern was woven in the dark puple section of the rug and shares the same pattern as the agave, both patterns have a red diamon in the middle to represent the connection to the ancient seers of the world.

Causes: 

Omar just finished putting a roof over his family's workshop and now is building a rain catching sysem; purchasing this rug helps support his family's construction projects.