>> THE ZAPOTEC INDIANS OF
OAXACA, MEXICO, HAVE BEEN

WEAVING TEXTILES FOR MORE THAN
2,000 YEARS.

MEET ZAPOTEC WEAVER PORFIRIO
GUTIERREZ WHO HONORS HIS

ANCESTORS BY KEEPING THIS
AGE-OLD TRADITION ALIVE.

HERE'S A LOOK.

>> SO EACH PIECE TELLS A STORY.
WE CALL THIS THE CYCLE OF LIFE.

EACH STEP FROM THE DAY WE ARE
BORN, EACH STEP REPRESENTS EACH

STAGE OF OUR LIFE.
SO HERE, THESE ARE THE STAGES.

HERE'S WHERE WE ACQUIRE ALL THE
KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM.

AND WE CARRY THAT TO OUR KIDS,
AND THEY BEGIN THEIR OWN LIFE.

MY VILLAGE IS CALLED

TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE WHICH MEANS

A PLACE OF GOD.

THIS SMALL VILLAGE, IT'S IN THE

STATE OF OAXACA.

SO THIS VILLAGE, THE HISTORIANS
BELIEVE THAT IT WAS ONE OF THE

FIRST VILLAGES THAT WAS CREATED
BY THE ZAPOTEC INDIANS HUNDREDS

AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

SO I GREW UP PLAYING WITH THE
BOBBINS, WITH THE PEDALS ON THE

LOOM, SPINNING WHEEL.
THAT WAS REALLY OUR FUN THING

DOING AS A KID.
THE FACT THAT I'M A ZAPOTEC

WEAVER OR ZAPOTEC ARTIST, WHAT
I'M SHARING, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT

MY WORK.
I'M SHARING AND I'M PRESERVING

AN ANCIENT TRADITION, AND I WANT
EVERYBODY TO KNOW.

A LOT OF ARTISTS USE PAINT,
USE MUSIC, WRITERS TO EXPRESS

THEMSELVES.
I USE TEXTILES.

WHAT MY FATHER TAUGHT ME WHEN I
WAS 12 YEARS OLD, I USE THAT TO

EXPRESS MYSELF.
SO YOU COLLECT YOUR PLANT DYES.

YOU DYE THE YARN.
THIS COULD TAKE SEVERAL DAYS OR

WEEKS.
IT DEPENDS ON THE PLANTS YOU'RE

WORKING WITH.
FOR INSTANCE, POMEGRANATE WILL

GIVE YOU A LIGHT YELLOW, JUST A
FRUIT, RIGHT?

CHOP IT UP, IT WILL GIVE A LIGHT
YELLOW.

SAME FRUIT, YOU DRY IT OUT.
YOU PUT IT ON THE METAL TUB TO

RUN FOR SEVERAL WEEKS,
NOW IT WILL GIVE YOU BLACK.

SO IT TAKES WEEKS BEFORE YOU CAN
GET THERE.

SO THAT'S WHY I'M MENTIONING
THAT SOME OF THESE DYES COULD

TAKE DAYS OR SOMETIMES WEEKS.
SO YOU GOT AN IDEA.

YOU LOOK AT YOUR COLOR PALETTES.
YOU SKETCH YOUR DESIGNS.

ONCE YOU START LOOKING AT THIS
TYPE OF ART FORM NOT JUST AS A

RUG BUT AS AN ART FORM, THAT'S
WHEN YOU START TO WANT TO HAVE A

PERSONAL EXPRESSION.
THAT'S WHERE YOU RECOGNIZE WHO

YOU ARE AS AN INDIVIDUAL,
AS AN ARTIST, AS AN ARTISAN, AS

A NATIVE ZAPOTEC FROM OAXACA,
MEXICO, WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT

TO ME.
I WANT TO EXPRESS THAT IN EVERY

STEP OF MY ART.
SO WITH THAT IN MIND, I SKETCH

THE DESIGN, HOW I WANT IT TO
LOOK.

I COLOR IT.
FROM THERE, THEN IT GOES TO THE

LOOM.
THE DESIGN WILL TELL ME HOW THIS

WEAVING WILL BE PLACED, WILL BE
WOVEN ON THE LOOM.

I HAVE TO TAKE INTO
CONSIDERATION WHAT THE LOOM IS

ALLOWING ME TO DO.
AND THEN FROM THERE, I HAVE TO

GO AROUND THE LIMITATIONS OF THE
LOOM SO I COULD CREATE THE

DESIGN THAT I'M VISUALIZING.
THAT CONSISTS OF THREAD PER

INCH, THE WIDTH OF THE YARN,
AND THE SIZE OF THE LOOM,

WHETHER THE LOOM, IF I'M WORKING
IN A SMALL PIECE, SOME OF MY

PIECES ARE WOVEN SIDEWAYS.
WHENT'NES DONE, IT'S PRESENTED

THE OTHER WAY.
SO WHEN YOU'RE WEAVING THESE,

YOUR MIND, IT'S KIND OF THROWN
AWAY BECAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT

THIS DESIGN AS YOU'RE WEAVING IT
A CERTAIN WAY.

WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH THE
WEAVING, IT'S EXHIBITED IN A

DIFFERENT WAY, WHICH THAT'S WHAT
I ORIGINALLY WANTED TO DO.

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE THE TOOLS FOR
ME TO EDUCATE THE WORLD ABOUT

MY ART.
YOU MENTIONED THAT IT'S

SOMETHING THAT'S DISAPPEARING.
THE SYNTHETIC DYE WAS INTRODUCED

IN MY VILLAGE AROUND THE
1850s.

THE VILLAGERS RAPIDLY ABANDONED
THEIR ANCIENT TRADITION OF

WORKING WITH PLANTS, MINERALS,
AND INSECTS.

IT'S EASIER AND IT'S CHEAPER
TO DO.

SO MASS-PRODUCED MARKET CAME
ALONG, AND THERE'S NO MORE TRUE

SOUL TO EACH PIECE.
THEN IT BECOMES A PRODUCT.

SO THEY LOST TOUCH WITH OUR
TRADITION.

THEY LOST TOUCH WITH, AND I
THINK THEY LOST THEIR RESPECT,

PERHAPS, FOR MY TRIBE.
BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT HONORING

OUR ANCESTORS THROUGH THEIR
TECHNIQUE, THROUGH THEIR

METHODS, JUST THROUGH THE WAY
THE WHOLE PIECE IS BEING

CREATED.
THEY LOST IT.

SO MANY GENERATIONS AGO, THEY
DON'T PRACTICE THAT NO MORE.

EVERYTHING IS CHEMICALLY DYED.
SO WE'RE THE LAST FEW FAMILIES

IN THE VILLAGE, TEOTITLÁN DEL
VALLE, THAT STILL HAVE THE

KNOWLEDGE AND ARE COMMITTED
ENOUGH TO CREATE EACH PIECE.

AND EACH PIECE WE HONOR THOSE
TRUE ARTISANS OR ARTISTS THAT

STARTED, THAT DID ALL THE
RESEARCH AND HOW A BEETLE WILL

GIVE YOU RED.
SOMEONE HAD TO DO THAT.

AND MY ANCESTORS DID IT MORE
THAN 2,000 YEARS AGO.

WE'RE PROUD TO STILL HAVE THE
KNOWLEDGE, AND WE'RE PROUD TO

HONOR THOSE PEOPLE THROUGH EACH
PIECE WE CREATE.

I'M JUST IN LOVE WITH MY
CULTURE, AND I LOVE WHAT I DO.

AND I LOVE TO REPRESENT THE
ZAPOTEC COMMUNITY AS MUCH AS

I CAN.
AND HOPEFULLY MY FOREFATHERS ARE

OKING DOWN ON ME AND BEING
PROUD OF WHAT I DO.

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