Galrushiís: smiles

Size: 130x200cm; 4.2x6.5ft 

Weaver: Francisca Hipólito and Pedro Mendoza

Price: $500USD (varies slightly with exchange rates). Price on checkout shows in MXN pesos. 

Materials and 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. 

This rug design is comprised of stripes of the smile pattern in different colors as a way to remind us that laughing and smiling is the source of true healing and medicine. Our ancestors teach that we are born with the medicine we need to heal our bodies, it is within and free, all healing starts with a change of attitude and a desire to heal. Scientifically we now know that when we smile and laugh our brains release a cocktail of molecules that are beneficial to our health. Our ancetors used psycological tricks to start changing our behaviour towards a healing pathway, for intstance, they might recommend that you start your healing showering at sunrise with water from wells to activate your body's immune system and force that smile when the well water is splashed on you first thing in the morning.