Gaalnazaak, Gaalnadaan: the gifts of nature, joyful living.

Size: 80x150cm; 2.6x5ft 

Weaver: Jacinto Gutierrez 

Materials and methods: criollo sheep wool hand dyed with xiuhquilitl (indigo). Handwoven on a Zapotec style loom of the 16th century adapted from European styles. Woven using a 7 threads per inch reed. 

Patterns and symbols: Don Jacinto and I played around with some ideas around the rainy season wich brings us joy, hence the smile symbol along with lightning and thunder pattern that announces the rains and Gaalnazak (abundance and joy) that comes with it.
Needless to say that Jacinto is a versatile master weaver, he can tackle any design style or pattern, his soul is young, playful and full of life. Sadly, he is no longer with us as he passed away during the pandemic while visiting her daughter in California. He worked hard to improve his workshop's roof top and then saved up to take his wife on a holiday trip to the USA. Don Jacinto had been one of the old timer Braceros, a temporal migrant worker, to leave our village to go work in the farms of the USA, he remembers working in Orange county while there were still orange farms over there. 

Don Jacinto was also a very knowledgable person who knew our mountains very well and used to gather wild foods, firewood and sacred flowers for ceremonies up there. 

We want to honour Don Jacinto's memory and will share the profits from this rug back with his family now that  he is not there to support them.