Yesterday started off revisiting the tin-knocker to place our “official” order. Afterwards, we would return to the Centro where our hotel and our ride (Papa Pancho’s van) were. Victoria insisted I take a short nap since I only slept 4-hours the night before. Actually, the street our hotel is located on seemed quieter during the day than it did at night, being on a major thoroughfare that goes directly through the Centro. After my nappertino, we headed out to Tiotitlan de Valle, a small dusty community renowned for its Zapotec weavers. We had been there before and visited two family workshops, we actually purchased a few rugs from one of them. The other seemed a bit out of our range, so even though we enjoyed seeing their work, we weren’t in any position to make any more purchases.
This time, we were going to have a look at a few other workshops. One was by referral, the others were on account of an article I had read describing the shortcut methods many of the weavers were taking in order to optimize their bottom-line, methods which were straying away from the traditional methods that the Zepotec’s have employed for generations. For instance, instead of spinning their own wool, many shops are buying pre-spun wool. The result is not so much the quality of the wool itself, it is more the fineness of the wool. Once you start outsourcing materials (or process), you lose control of your end product. By the way, the article I read referenced a few “recommended” shops who were still employing the traditional methods, our previous contact was not on that list.
In the case of the workshops, who gear up for the tour busses bringing people in for bulk-purchases, the bottom line is the bottom line, especially given the fact that the bus operator who brings the prospective shoppers gets a 30% (sometimes more) cut from the overall sales. Anyway, we entered Tiotitlan de Valle’s main street that led to the scattering of workshops on either side, and the one which was referred to us was one of the first we came across. They were closed that day, so we decided to head further in and see if we could find some of the others on the list, when we discovered we didn’t bring the list.
Heading towards where the other workshops would be found, we came across Casa Cruz, the place we had been last year but opted out of purchasing anything. We were warmly greeted by Maria Louisa, the wife of Fidel Cruz. Maria Louisa had been a warm and gracious host on our last visit and she remembered us (read; Victoria) immediately and greeted us with just as much warmth and sincerity as before. But there was something different for me on this visit. The work was different, or rather my eye was different. The Cruz’s offer three grades of rugs, the first for anyone who passes through looking for something to take home that is kind-of comparable to what the other workshops sell. Then they have their “super-fine” grade, followed by their “super-super fine” grade, equivalent to cashmere. Now the Cruz’s have definitely drawn their line in the sand, given evidence that none of the usual tour busses that stop at their shop. They do get busses stopping in occasionally, but these are busses that are carrying museum curators or serious students of the Zepotec tradition or the weaving/fiber arts, and those busses bypass all the other workshops, Casa Cruz IS their destination.
At this point, it would only seem appropriate to post an image or two, but this is not allowed at Casa Cruz, and for good reason. There is a reason that the Cruz family is sought out to give lectures and expositions on traditional Zepotec weaving, their work is phenomenal. The “super fine” quality of rug is so tightly woven that the detail is simply unbelievable. This is the reason they are spinning their own wool, and I could’t help but think of the rugs we purchased last year. Nice representation of a “Mexican rug”, but so, so far away from the designs and execution we were looking at at Casa Cruz. As one might imagine, their designs are frequently taken from them, sloppily copied and sold en-masse. For this reason we were asked not to take any images, and if we did take hoots of the rugs we purchased from them, we were asked to use them with discretion (read; don’t post them on the internet).
Again, I was faced with a decision, and this is where intuition gets in the way of making a “sound business decision”. For what we would pay for one Cruz rug, we could purchase at least five rugs from one of the lesser houses. But if we were going to stand by our word, to seek out the very best of the very best, it would be disingenuous of us to load the shop with “affordable” rugs rather than be representatives of the true craft, the lineage of the Zapotec tradition. The decision, on an intuitive level was easy. But when the “business” aspect of the decision came into play, it would start gnawing away at my sensibilities. What ARE you doing? But rarely are intuitive decisions regrettable, in fact, I have found that not following one’s intuition usually leads to regret.
Fidel left, Maria Louisa right, and their son center.
So we decided to buy five rugs, which put a serious dent in our budget, especially considering I’m not even sure we’ll sell any at the price we’ll have to get for them, and the fact that I don’t think people are ready to shell out this kind of cash (we will take credit cards). But we will stand with much pride in having their work on display, even just to share it with others. Later this year the Crus family will be headed for Washington by invitation from a museum to give a seminar on traditional zepotec methods, in particular the use of cochanille, bugs who take up residency on cactus pedals that produce a rich red color when extracted from insects. Actually, Fidel had made one rug specifically for the Washington trip, an amazing design that screamed RED from corner to corner. Somewhat reluctantly I think, they agreed to sell it to use and in return we promised not to sell it to anyone, ut instead keep it on display so that they can use it when they are in Washington.
I am hoping that the arts community in New York will appreciate the works from the Cruz family once the pieces are installed. Never mind, I’m hoping that the community in general will appreciate them. Again, I can’t post any images, but I think once we get them in our hands, I might be able to shoot an isolated “detail” shot that doesn’t jeopardize the overall design elements but will show the exquisite detail and craftsmanship. The irony is that we will display one of the rugs we purchased last year, but for the sole propose of showing the contrast between a “Mexican rug” and a museum-quality traditional Zepotec weaving.
No internet sales, in fact, there will not be competition at all. It isn’t as if someone interested in one of the rugs from that hands of Casa Cruz can go home and Google a “better deal”, they don’t exist. We hope folk will come by end see this amazing work, and hold on, we’ve only been shopping one week. At the rate we’re going, will either be broke or hopefully, we’ll fall into more precious finds like Casa Cruz. Oh, we also bought one small “super-super fine” quality rug, the cashmere quality. To touch it, to feel the softness of the materials along with the visual aspects of design, color and detail is a real treat. When I asked Maria Louisa whether they had ever had one framed, she laughed at the idea. These are to be touched, they are to be experienced totally. I couldn’t agree more.